


The Crime of Love

by AryRiddle



Series: Tears of Love and Fury. [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Family, Forced Marriage, Future Fic, Pregnancy, Rape/Non-con References, Revenge, Romance, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-11
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-19 04:40:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 27
Words: 104,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/879568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryRiddle/pseuds/AryRiddle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the battle of Blackwater, Sandor goes back for Sansa and promises to be always there for her, and both share a forbidden romance. But what happens when they are discovered, and they have to face the wrath of King Joffrey?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Devotion Save Me Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing, it all belongs to GRR Martin. I hope you like this fic and enjoy it! See end of chapter for more notes.

Sandor didn't know what he had expected when had left the battle, afraid of the green fire that was devouring the ships and the men and the rain of flaming arrows that fell angrily on them, and he had suddenly found himself in the little bird's room. He didn't know why he fell asleep on her bed, nor why he acted that way with her when she appeared in the room, scared and trying to run away from the horrors of that night. He had asked her to leave with him, he could protect her. But she had stayed, and he had left.

He had thought that he could easily leave the city, no one would notice him with all the chaos of the battle, and if they did, it would be the last thing they did in their buggering lives. But as he rode Stranger out of King's Landing, he felt that it was the most difficult thing he had ever done in his life.

 _Seven buggering hells,_ he thought as he kicked Stranger to make him go faster. What was wrong with him? He was free, free to run away from the Lannister and the fire, he had time to scape and no one would find him! Why was he so angry and furious?

His thoughts kept coming back to King's Landing... To the little bird. He stopped Stranger and turned his head around to stare at the city, with green flames making it shine in an unnatural way. He could practically hear the screams of the soldiers all the way from there. He looked at the Red Keep, still visible from that distance... Sansa. No, he couldn't leave her there. The city was going to fall, the army of Stannis was going to sack the city, and he bloody well knew what would happen then. They would kill all the men, rape all the women...

He remembered the day that the mob had attacked Joffrey, and what had almost happened to the little bird. Had he not arrived in time to take those fucking bastards away from her...

He saw red. He felt his blood boiling in his veins at the mere thought of those bloody Baratheon soldiers doing that to her. He would not allow it, nobody would do any harm to Sansa, not to his little bird...

He turned Stranger around and kicked him again to race back to the city. He didn't have it quite so easy to get in as he had had it to get out, all the doors were locked. There was only one way in, and that was going back to the battle around the walls of the city. Cursing under his breath, he did it. As he returned to the battle he had cowardly ran away from minutes ago, he found that there were many more soldiers that there had been when he left. More Baratheon soldiers? They were fucked if that was the case...

But as he got closer, he could see their banners. That wasn't the army of Stannis Baratheon, it was a Lannister and Tyrell army.

_What in seven buggering hells...?_

A man came running and screaming toward him, holding a sword. Sandor cut him in two with his greatsword and rejoined his men in battle against the few Baratheon men that were retreating, suddenly defeated. He kept cutting men as he rode past them, and his own men recognized him and seemed glad to see him, because he could kill many more men than they could. He didn't see the dwarf anywhere. He hoped the bloody Imp was dead, it would be one less pain in his arse. He also didn't see the king anywhere, but that was no surprise at all.

He didn't stop cutting men in half and riding them down until he heard the shouts of victory surrounding them and there were no more enemies to kill. There was cheering and singing, but he didn't hear it. He had only one thing in mind.

Sandor raced back inside the city and towards the Red Keep, dismounting Stranger and giving the reigns to a squire. He entered the Red Keep, running past soldiers that had stormed inside to announce the victory, and he didn't stop until he reached the closed doors of Sansa's chambers. He didn't stop himself and burst them open, quickly looking around, searching for her with eyes full of fear. Had they gotten to her while he was gone?

He could hear his own sight of relief as he saw her on her bed, sleeping in the same right spot in which he had fallen asleep not even an hour ago. She was holding his bloody cloak tightly against her body, as if she were hugging a dear old friend. That left him astonished.

She oppened her eyes then, wide awake and startled from the noise of the door oppening so violently. She nearly let out a faint scream, but she relaxed when she saw that it was him.

"Ser..." she whispered.

"I'm no Ser" he said for the millionth time, but it wasn't angrily this time. He was so relieved to see that she was alright, that no bad had come to her while he ran away leaving her behind.

She fell silent for a moment, turning red from her mistake.

 _Buggering hells, how can she be embarrased in moments like this?_ He asked himself. Such a polite little bird...

"Sandor..." that surprised him. He had expected her to call him many other names, but not by his given name... At least, not in such a tender way... She didn't let go of the bloody cloak at any moment. "I thought you were leaving?"

"I was" he admitted, walking closer to the bed, to where she was. "But I came back..."

Sandor could see the surprise in the little bird's eyes, but also something else... Something that he could not quite describe...

"Why?" she wanted to know. Her voice was weak, and she was shaking, but not out of fear.

Sandor stopped right in front of the bed and looked down at her, straight into her Tully blue eyes. She was so beautiful, sitting there holding his cloak, not minding the stains of blood that covered it. He took a strand of hair away from her beautiful face, and when he touched her she shivered. He felt himself harden and his breeches pulling tighter on his manhood, but he controlled himself. He had to. Sandor then answered her question.

"I came back for you, little bird."

She let out a soft cry. He was afraid for a second, thinking that maybe she was afraid of him, but then he saw the tears of joy that started filling her eyes. She was looking at him straight in the face, and there wasn't a knife at her throat threatening her at that moment; she was looking straight at his face, not minding his burns, on her own will.

"Sandor..." she cried, and then she stood up and hugged him tightly, locking her arms around his huge armoured body.- I was so stupid, I should have gone with you before! I'm so sorry, I panicked, but I wanted to go, I wanted to go with you so much! Away from here, away from everything... Oh, please forgive me for my behaviour with you all this time, I was a stupid, stupid child...

"No" he rasped. "You are the one that has to forgive me, little bird..."

And then he did the unthinkable. He took her chin gently with his hand and made her look up at him. He locked her blue eyes on his grey ones, and found that for the first time there wasn't anger of rage in them.

He lowered his head and kissed her full on the mouth. Sandor expected the little bird to get away from him in disgust, but he had never expected her to cup his face with her delicate porcelain hands, just like she had done before when he was crying, and kiss him back. She was kissing him back!

Sandor caught her tiny waist between his hands and pulled the little bird closer, feeling her against his body. Sansa moaned against his mouth, and he parted her lips with his tongue, exploring her little mouth with it and feeling himself harder and harder with each second that passed. He wanted to take her, there, now, but he could not do that, he must control himself for the sake of the little bird.

 _Stop being a wild dog_ he ordered to himself.

He focused on the kiss, and he felt himself melting at the feeling of the little bird's mouth on his. She wanted him, he could feel it, just as much as he wanted her.

The kiss that had started slow and innocent soon turned passionate and breathless, and a bit wild. Sansa was a little she-wolf, after all, and Sandor liked it. She moaned again against his mouth, and a low, raspy sound of pleassure came rushing out of his lips suddendly. Gods, what had this girl- this beautiful woman- done to him to make him act that way? And what on seven buggering hells had he done to deserve her? He had always thought that only in his dreams would this become true.

He kiss ended, and they breathed heavily to catch their breaths. They never took their eyes away from each other. Sandor looked at Sansa; her face was red from the heat, her lips swollen from the kiss, and her breast raised and fell while she tried to steady her breath.

Sandor's thoughts were on the kiss. How could have Sansa changed her behavior so quickly? First she was terrified to look at him, and now... That _kiss_!

"I'm sorry, little bird" he rasped. "I shouldn't have..."

"You feel the same way that I do" she interrupted him, with her eyes shining brightly. "All this time... I didn't know why you protected me, I was so blind that I could not see... You love me?"

"Aye" he said, not afraid anymore.

"I was so scared... So terrified of everyone that I did not realize my own feelings!- she exclaimed." Somewhere along the way, I started feeling the same way for you.

Buggering hells, she did not just say that. It was impossible, it had to be a dream... The best dream any man in Westeros had ever had. The best dream in the entire fucking world.

"And I didn't realize it until you left and you were away from me, and I didn't know what I was going to do without you" she finished, and Sandor caressed her cheek.

"Little bird..." he kissed her again, softly, tenderly.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, suddenly worried, while she hugged him and buried her face in his broad chest. "The king..."

"Fuck the king" he said for the second time that night.

Sansa laughted, and for the first time since he was six years old, Sandor smiled, happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from the song "Devotion" by Hurts.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know that Sandor is not that cheesy at all, but I needed to get to the story quickly, and there was no time for Sandor being an ass to Sansa at first. ^^


	2. Do You Know Your Enemy?

There had been a lot of speculation about the Hound on the days following the battle of Blackwater. Some even dared to say that the king was going to punish him for the crime of treason. Sansa had been afraid for him, but Sandor had refused to leave. He wasn't going to do that ever again, he said.

The day came when Joffrey finally summoned Sandor Clegane to the throne room. He hadn't required his presence in several days, but now it was time to decide what was to be done with him. Sandor stood on his knee in front of the king and his court, keeping calm because he knew that his little bird was right there looking at him.

"Sandor Clegane, you stand before your king to answer for your crimes" said the Queen Regent with an ice cold smile on her lips.- You left in the midst of battle, running away cowardly, out of fear.

"Your Grace, the fire was everywhere. There is no man or weapon that can take me down, and all the buggering gods know that I cut through them with my sword like if the were made of smoke. But the fire... The fire is devil spawn."

"We all know of your little problems with the flames" Joffrey said, and Sandor felt hundreds of eyes on the burns in his face. "There are witnesses that swear that they saw you coming back, slaying all the enemies at you side. Is there any thruth in that?"

"Yes, your Grace. I came back."

"Why?"

"A dog must serve" Sandor rasped, knowing that the king would be pleased by those words. Sansa saw from afar how much Sandor hated to pronounce them.

Joffrey remained silent for a couple of minutes, thinking. The tension could be felt increasing with every passing moment.

"Very well, then. You crimes shall be forgotten and you will come back at my service. You are a much better sworn sword than all the other idiots. Be gone now, dog."

There were faint murmurs across the room. Sandor Clegane stood up and bowed his head to the king. As he was turning around to leave, the king's voice stopped him.

"One more thing, dog. I just remembered... That you insulted _me_. Your _king_."

There was anger in the green eyes of Joffrey, and the color drained from Sansa's face. What was he going to do to Sandor for that?

Sandor turned around to face the king once more.

"Aye" he admitted.

"You shall be punished for that one. Dog, hit her."

Everyone gasped when his finger pointed directly at Sansa. Her? Why?! What had she done?! What had she to do with any of this?

_He can't know_ she told herself. _He doesn't know, he can't know! Please, gods, please no..._

Sandor was horrified, but he knew how to mask it.

"The girl hasn't done anything, your Grace."

"But _you_ have" Joffrey spat. "I know that you don't like it at all when she is punished, so it'll be you the one that strikes her. Go on! Or I'll have Meryn and Boros do it in your place."

Sandor looked at Sansa. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her face was white with fear.

_You have to do it_ her eyes said. _We have no choice. He will know if you don't..._

She walked over towards him with very slow steps, until she was in front of him. He looked down at her, and she could see from that distance how much pain he was in.

"Do it, dog!" the king yelled.

" _Do it_ " Sansa whispered.

Sandor's hand stroke her in the face with such force that she was turned around and landed on the floor several feet away. She could taste the blood filling her mouth, and the horrible stinging pain in the cheek, which felt numb. She didn't want to, but she couldn't stop herself from letting out a cry of pain followed by loud cries.

Joffrey clapped his approval.

"Very good, Hound, very good!" he laughed. "Everyone! Give the Hound an applause!"

The king's court started clapping with him, cheering the Hound and calling out his name. He saw red. He didn't know what was holding him from killing every single one of them right then, and then ripping that golden bastard to bloody pieces, but it sure was taking all his strenght.

"Take her away" Joffrey ordered him. "Tend to her wounds, or she'll soon start looking like a giant with that swollen face."

Sandor helped the little bird on her feet with infinite care and took her out of the throne room, away from all the stares and murmurs. Once they were in her room, he looked furiously at the maids.

"Out!" he barked, and they ran away from Sansa's chambers. He ordered one of the maids to bring hot water to fill the tub, and she did as she was told. Minutes later, the maids came back and filled the bathtub with hot water, and then left them alone. Sandor looked at Sansa, who was still and quiet, yet her shoulders were shaking. He could tell she was sobbing in silence.

"Little bird..." he murmured, afraid to talk to her. He was a monster. He would understand it perfectly fine if she never talked to him again.

"It had to be done, he would have known if you didn't do it" she muttered, and dried her tears with the palm of her hand.

"I shouldn't have" Sandor said, angry at himself. "I should have let that little shit take my head instead."

He looked closely at the mess he had done to her face. It had never been his intention to strike her with such force. He could see a dark red mark with the shape of a hand in the swollen flesh of her cheek. Her mouth was covered in blood, and that worried him.

"Open your mouth" he told her, and she did so with great pain. Her mouth was filled with dried blood too. Sandor looked closely at her teeth. "You are lucky, you didn't loose any" when he said that, Sansa relaxed a little bit. Sandor took her gently by her shoulders. "Come, little bird. What you need is a nice warm bath to calm the pain..."

"But... You shouldn't be here. If someone sees..."

"No one will see. Come."

He caressed her cheek, and she decided to forget that she was in the Red Keep, surrounded by enemies. She was now with the only person she wanted to be with in the whole entire world, and that was all that mattered.

He unclasped her cloak, and then, with careful fingers, undid the laces of her dress. She turned slightly red in the face, and then Sandor stripped her out of her dress, leaving her only in her smallclothes, but it was enough for him to see how perfect she was. When she felt his gaze on her, she turned even a darker red.

Sensing her embarrasment, and also amused by it, Sandor turned around and allowed her to completelly undress with at least a little bit of privacity.

She went quickly towards the bathtub, tryig to cover herself as much as she could, and she sank in the hot water just when Sandor turned back around to stare at her.

He could feel his breath taken away. Sansa was mostly covered, but what little he could see of her was driving him mad. He got closer to the tub, looking straight into her eyes, and then kneeled at her side. Now he could see all of her, and like the other night, he started feeling his breeches painfully tight at the sight of Sansa's perfect naked body: her big breasts, the red curls between her legs, her flawless creamy skin... He put his hand under the water to caress her thigh. Sansa shivered under his touch.

"Sandor..." she whispered, and he got even harder after hearing her saying his name like that.

He took a washcloth, soaked it in the water and used it to wipe the dry blood out from her mouth, and he softly passed it over her swollen cheek. She hissed in pain, but she covered his hand with her's with loving affection.

"Little bird" he called her.

"Yes?"

"You said you had the same feelings for me as I do for you."

She nodded, and he sighted.

"I love you" Sansa said. When she said those words she felt butterflies in her belly. It felt so strange, yet at the same time so good...

"How?" he asked with a raspy voice. "Look at me, I'm hideous. I'm not a knight like those in your songs. I'm a killer. I'm a Hound."

"You are not hideous" she said. "And besides, real beauty is here, now I know that-"she said putting her other hand over his heart. "And you have more of that than you think you do. And the reason that you are not a knight is because you are a thousand times better than them. You are a killer, because you have to defeat your enemies. And you might be a Hound... But you are **my** Hound."

He couldn't resist it anymore. He leaned forward and kissed her, and she kissed him back, putting her arms around him and pressing her naked and wet body against him. He parted her lips with his tongue, explored her body with his hands, and she entangled her fingers in his hair and pulled lightly at it, pulling him closer to her. He kissed her deeply; her mouth tasted of blood and strawberries. His mouth was strong against hers, and they felt incredible. Half of them felt soft against her's, but the other half was rough and raspy. Sansa loved both halves of his lips equally. She didn't mind the scars at all, not anymore. They were part of Sandor, and she loved him.

They kissed with such passion that water was spilled from the tub. Sandor's hands carresed her bare back, her perfect buttocks, and then moved to the front, cuping both her breasts... She moaned... Too loudly.

They realized the risk in which they were of being seen, and parted away from each other, breaking the kiss. Sansa fell back on the tub, breathing heavily, while Sandor sat on the floor.

Sansa was speechless. She wanted more. She sent a pleading look his way, but he shook his head, still with unsteady breath.

"No, little bird, they could see us. I won't have them hurt you again, much less for me."

"But I want you" she whispered weakly. The kiss, it had woken something in her that she had never felt before, like a hungry beast. She felt a pulsing sensation between her legs that was making her uncomfortable.

"I want you too, Sansa" he said. "But we cannot..."

"I wish this tub was big enough for both of us" she said quickly, not letting him finish. "I want you here, with me..."

For some reason, that made him laugh.

"The little bird knows what she wants, huh? Bugger, I hightly doubt that is a behavior proper of a Lady..."

"Don't you dare laught at me" she hissed, but she also smiled. "I don't care is it's proper!"

She thought she saw something in his eyes. He was clearly pleased with her.

"I'll show you a place someday, when you can get out of this fucking castle" he promised. "And then we'll be together, little bird."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She believed him. Sansa smiled at him, and Sandor stood up on his feet, looking like a giant next to her. He smiled back at her.

"I'll bring in the maids" he said. He shot another glance at her body, and then he turned to leave.

When the maids came in, they didn't see the sad and scared little girl they had left alone with the Hound, but a Lady, secure and strong and happy.


	3. Seize The Day Or Die Regretting The Time You Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope there are no grammar mistakes. If there are please forgive me!  
> So... Things are going to start getting a bit intense after this. A lot more intense...

Three days later, Sansa went to see Joffrey in his chambers. Sandor was keeping guard on the door, and they both smiled warmly at each other before he announced her presence to the king.

"Lady Sansa, your Grace."

"Let her in."

Sansa entered the room. Joffrey was admiring his image in the mirror, wearing new robes.

"Your Grace" she made a reverence.

"What do you want?"

"I know that I'm not allowed out of the keep, but I was wondering I maybe today, just this once..."

"Why? So that you can run away?"

"No, your Grace, I swear I won't do that. I just want to walk outside for a little while."

Joffrey remained silent for a couple of seconds, apparently trying to decide whether to allow her to go or not. Finally, he shrugged.

"All right. But take Clegane with you. I want to make sure that you will receive a fine punishment if you try anything foolish."

Sansa was so happy that she almost jumped and screamed like a little girl, but she contained herself. Everyone had to believe that she hated and was afraid of the Hound.

"As you wish, your Grace, thank you."

She left the king's chambers, followed by Sandor. They left the keep in silence and went to the stables, where Sandor mounted Stranger and Sansa mounted behind him, putting her arms around him to hold on. Sandor kicked Stranger and they galloped away from the Red Keep.

Sansa hadn't said a specific place to were she wanted to go, but she remembered the promise that Sandor had made her, that he would take her somewhere where they could be together. She was exited, but she was also afraid that someone would follow them. They could never trust Joffrey.

Sandor seemed to read her thoughts.

"Don't worry, little bird. Nobody is behind us."

And she believed him, so she could finally relax. She put her good cheek against his back; the other one was still a little swollen and sore from when he hit her, but it didn't hurt as much as it did three days ago, she only felt it a little numb still.

They rode to a beach outside King's Landing. It was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. The sky was blue, the water was clam, and the sand was white and soft and smooth like flour. Sandor dismounted the horse and then he helped Sansa get down too. She kicked her shoes off, wanting to feel the warm sand under her feet and between her toes. She smiled.

"This place is beautiful, Sandor!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Thank you for bringing me here!"

"I knew you would enjoy the surprise, little bird" he said, smiling back at her. Everytime that he smiled, the burned side of his face twisted in a way that had repulsed Sansa in the past, but now she didn't mind it at all, she even found it curious.

Even though he had said that nobody was following them, after he tied Stranger to a tree Sandor looked around just to be sure. Sansa waited for him till it was all clear that they were the only people around in miles.

"Seems we are all alone, little bird. Is there anything...?" Sandor couldn't finish his sentence. The little bird had gotten away as soon as he told her they were alone. She ran to the seaside, where the waves broke against the sand and rocks. She lifted the skirts of her dress and walked inside the sea, smiling and laughing. When she saw how Sandor was looking at her, she laughed even more. He had never seen her so happy.

"I never went out of Winterfell, I never went to a beach in my whole life. This is great!"

Sandor felt happy when he saw her happy, and walked to where she has.

"Don't get too far inside! You don't want to ruin your dress, little bird, and I don't want you hurt with the waves" there were practically no waves in sight, and the ones that were there were very small, but still he couldn't stop worrying about Sansa. She seemed to find that amusing.

"Come here with me!" she said, walking into deeper waters, not giving a damn about her dress. She extended her arm towards him, and Sandor reached her, taking her hand.

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently in her soft lips, but passionately at the same time.

Sansa felt the butterflies in her belly again. She had never imagined that love (real love) felt this wonderful. It was better than in the songs, and she didn't care if she was called stupid for believing that, that was how she felt, wonderfully, complete. She had realized what she felt exactly after Sandor left. She hadn't understood it at the time, but she had been in despair. But he was there in that beach with her, and he had promised to stay with her, and she loved it. She loved him.

She cupped his face between her hands, softly caressing the good cheek and the burnt one. She felt his hands travelling up and down her back.

They broke apart slowly, and just then it started to rain. Sansa gasped, shocked, and looked up to the sky. It had been blue seconds ago, but now it was grey and covered in black clouds. In a matter of seconds both of them were completely wet, and the waves were becoming more violent.

Sandor laughed.

"Sansa, come this way!" he said, raising his voice above the sound of the rain. They got out of the water and he took her hand, guiding her to the huge rocks near the cliff that was right next to the beach. Sansa could then see a cave as they approached it, and ran inside.

The cave was small, but had enough space to let them walk a few feet inside it. There was water on the floor, brought inside the cave by the bigger waves. Sandor took off his cloak and put it over Sansa's shoulders, and then he stopped to look at her. The rain had soaked her even more than the sea had, and her clothes were pressed against her skin and he could almost see through. He had already seen her naked, three days ago when he made her take a bath, but the sight of her big breast under that thin, wet layer of silk and her hardened nipples made him hard again. He then took in the rest of her, and when he tried to talk, he couldn't find the right words to say, nothing made sense in her mind.

The same was happening to Sansa. He could perfectly see the way in which Sandor looked at her, yet she didn't look away in embarrassment. She liked the way his eyes shined with hunger because of her. But she could also feel that Sandor was trying to control himself, to not give in to his feelings...

She moved closer to him, but he backed away.

"No, little bird, don't. If I get near you right now..."

 _He would take me_ Sansa finished the sentence in her head.

She didn't say a word. She just pushed the cloak he had given her off her shoulders, and then she unclasped her own cloak. His eyes went wide when he saw her only with her soaked dress. He could practically see her naked through it.

She erased the distance between them with a step, and he grabbed her by the waist and turned her against the wall, slamming her into it. He heard her gasp just before he kissed her. This kiss wasn't soft or gentle, it was wild. He wasn't holding in anymore.

Sansa's thoughts and emotions went crazy.

 _Gods..._ She thought. _He's like a thirsty animal that has just seen water for the first time in years!_

But she liked it... Oh, how much she did like it...

His lips moved down her chin and to her neck, making her moan. This time she didn't only feel butterflies in her stomach but a strange pulsation between her legs, and a certain wetness. It was warm, so it couldn't be the water from the rain or the sea.

_They don't mention this in the songs._

Sandor had been right. Life wasn't like a song... It was so much better!

Sandor grabbed her tights and raised her legs to put them around him, and caressed the soft skin under the dress, while his lips explored her bosom.

"Sandor..." she sighted, and then he took her away from the wall of rocks. She stood again on her feet, looking at him. He threw his scabbard and sword over one of the big rock, and returned her stare.

"Little bird..."

"I want you" she said quickly. "Sandor, I want you..."

"We can't... Your maidenhead..."

"I don't care. I can say that it broke while on horseback, it happened to some girls back in Winterfell. Sandor..."

It seemed enough to convince him, because when she started trying to take his clothes off, he didn't stop her. He wore a piece of armor, and she took it off and settled it next to the scabbard on the rock. Then she took off his shirt, leaving his upper body naked.

She had seen a man's chest on very few occasions, but she figured Sandor must be what was considered perfection. His shoulders were wide, and his chest was powerfully muscled, covered with thin black hair. Below it were his abdominals, perfectly defined.

" _Every man is beautiful"_ septa Mordane had once said. It was true, Sandor's beauty might not be in his face, but it sure was in his body.

He had several scars from multiple battles, but they just seemed to make him look even more strong and powerful.

It was her turn. Sandor wanted to rip the little bird's clothes off, but he knew he couldn't. They would notice it in the Red Keep. So he carefully removed her dress over her hear after unlacing it. She stood before him in her smallclothes and she took them off herself, and again, he was bewitched by what he saw... So much perfection... How could the gods have created such a beautiful creature and given it to him?

He was the only one left with any clothes, and the little bird took care of it. In a matter of seconds, he was as naked as the day he was born.

" _Gods"_ Sansa muttered with her eyes wide open. She was looking at his hard cock. It was huge. "Why... why is it like that?"

Although her septa had told her something about what happened in the marriage bed, she didn't know all the details. The only thing she was always known for sure was that when she was married, her husband would take her, and she must let him do his duty. But Sandor wasn't her husband, nor was it duty what they were doing. She wanted him, yes. She just didn't know how.

Sandor laughed. He had almost forgotten how innocent the little bird really was.

"It's like that because of you... _It_ _ **wants**_ _you_..."

But it's so big she thought, a little bit scared. But when she looked Sandor in the eyes, those deep grey eyes that were usually full of rage and anger (not right then), she knew that she didn't have to be scared.

Sandor held her in his arms and slowly laid her down on the cave's hard rock floor. It scratched Sansa in the back, but she didn't mind. Sandor laid down on top of her, supporting his weight with his elbows so that he wouldn't crush her. He started kissing her neck while his hands traced her body, and she felt the wetness between her legs increasing alongside her body temperature: both Sandor and her seemed like they were on fire. But it was a delicious kind of fire.

Sandor kissed the little bird's breasts. They were big, round and soft, and her caressed the little pink nipples with the tip of his tongue, making her shiver and moan with pleasure. This was an entirely new experience for her, and the storm of emotions that she was feeling was too strong. Her heart was beating fast in her chest, wanting more...

...And more was what he gave her. His hand traveled down her body to her legs, and lightly caressed her womanhood.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, both with surprise and pleasure. He looked at her and smiled faintly. "Go on..." she practically commanded it.

His thumb rubbed against her, flooding her with incredulous pleasure. She loved it, but in her inexperience, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to pleasure him as much as he was pleasing her.

"Sandor..." she whispered with her eyes closed.

"Yes, little bird?" he asked softly against her ear.

"I don't... I don't know... What to..."

"Do?"

She nodded. She was afraid what she would get away from her then, not interest in a child that could not offer him what he wanted. But that wasn't the case.

"Will you let me show you?"

"Yes..."

"You are going to sing a song for me, little bird. The song that you promised me long ago."

She was confused. A song? What did he mean? He already sang for him, no more than a week ago. Did he want her to sing again?

She could not ask any questions because she then felt the tip of his manhood rubbing against her sex. Gods, it felt so good! She wanted him inside, filling her up...

And so he did. He slowly penetrated her, trying not to hurt her, which was difficult. She was so tight, and he was so big... His cock ripped through her maidenhead and she couldn't stop herself from letting out a cry of pain.

"Little bird?" he stopped, worried. He did not want to hurt her.

" _Don't stop"_ she hissed. It wasn't as bad as she had thought, although it did hurt, but she could bear it if it meant being like that with Sandor, in the most intimate way that a man and a woman could be together. She loved him, after all, there was no denying it.

He pushed deeper inside her, until his manhood was filling her completely, stretching her tight juicy walls. She was so wet, and it was making him crazy. All of Sansa made Sandor crazy.

We waited until she got used to the felling of having him inside her. The pain was slowly fading away, leaving behind pleasure only. Sandor got out of her and then back in, a little bit faster this time, without stopping. Sansa moaned and arched her back, pressing herself closer to him. He started moving at a slow rhythm while his hands traced every single part of her body, leaving nothing unexplored. His lips locked hers in a deep kiss while the speed of his thrusts increased.

Sansa was feeling like she was being raised to the heavens above.

"Sandor..." she moaned, and he smiled against her lips.

He had never made love like this in his life. He had never made love, period. What he had done was fuck cheap whores that wouldn't even look at him. But the little bird... He wanted to show her how much he cared for her, that he wasn't a brute when he was with her, that she was special, more special than any girl or woman in Westeros... or in the entire buggering world!

Sansa felt with her hands the strong muscles of his back. When he started going much faster and deeper, she couldn't help it and she dug her long fingernails into his back, making him hiss. As a response to that stinging pain in his back, Sandor thrust even deeper into her, and she scratched his back, leaving eight long bloody marks on his skin. Sansa felt Sandor smile against her mouth.

"Aahh..." he hissed, half with pain, half with pleasure. Definitely more of the later. "The little bird is now a little she-wolf, isn't she...?"

"She is" she whispered, kissing him again. Outside, the thunder illuminated the skies and the sea, and silencing the noises of pleasure they were making.

Sandor grabbed Sansa and turned around, leaving her on top of him. Sansa smiled with mischief and drove her eyes all over his body once more. There was a particularly big scar between two of his ribs, and when she leaned down to kiss him she moved down and kissed that old scar, and then moved her lips through his entire body. She couldn't get enough of him.

Still holding her by the hips, Sandor guided Sansa's movements and she started riding him fiercely. She was a quick learner, and he was nearly at the peak of his pleasure.

"Sansa..." his hands covered her bouncing breast while she rose him unstoppably like a wild horse.

"Sandor!" she suddenly screamed with pleasure, and arched her body while let out a long, load moan. Her juices soaked his manhood, and he couldn't resist it anymore. While saying her name, he exploded, releasing his warm seed inside her. That had been a mistake, but it was too late now, and they couldn't care less.

Sansa dropped over his body, exhausted, and tried to regain her breath.

"Gods, _Sandor_..."

"Little bird..." he caressed her red hair covered in rainwater and sweat. He could feel her heart, it was beating as if it was going to come out of her chest at any moment. After a few seconds, he realized his was beating at the same speed.

"That was..." Sansa couldn't find the right words- the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life! Thank you...

"No, little bird, thank you. What did I do to deserve you?"

She played teasingly with his lips, and she smiled widely.

"You just truly love me, that's all."

"You are fucking perfect, little bird."

They kissed for what seemed like hours until they fell asleep cuddling in each others arms, relaxed by the sound of the rain and the thunder.

* * *

Sansa woke up about an hour later. She had Sandor's arms around her and she smiled. He was still deeply and peacefully asleep. It had stopped raining; the sky was blue, and the sea was calm again.

With much care, she got away from Sandor's embrace, stood up and left the cave still naked. She felt different. She felt like a grown up woman. The place between her legs was a little sore, but she had never felt happier in her entire life. She hugged herself, remembering how Sandor's kissed and touch had felt on her skin, his naked body over hers... She knew such things her not proper of a Lady, but she didn't want to be a lady. She wanted to be a girl in love.

She walked into the sea. The water was much colder now than before, but she needed it. She allowed herself to relax until two big, strong arms held her. She gasped and turned around to find Sandor behind her.

"Thought you could sneak out away from me?" he asked, amused.

"I thought I could try" she shrugged, making him laugh. "But I prefer it so much more with you here..."

She put her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. She felt his manhood hard again, and he grinned. Sansa understood perfectly well that grin.

"Here?"

"And why not, little bird? Embarrassed of what the fish might think? Afraid that they might will report to the Tullys?"

It hurt when he mentioned the Tullys, her lady mother's family. She missed Lady Catelyn so much, and her brothers, and even her sister Arya! And his father... It was all so painful...

"Don't be silly. Fish can't talk, so they can't report anything. And besides, I don't care what anybody thinks..."

He raised his eyebrows and smiled, pleased.

"Good, because what I'm about to do to you is going to scandalize the poor fish" he said as his hand reached her sex underwater.

* * *

Nobody suspected anything back at the Red Keep, they thought they were wet and late because of the storm that had caught them in the middle of the way. Sansa actually wanted to laugh at the stupidity of Joffrey and his mother.

_If only they knew..._

Sansa and Sandor tried to stay away from each other and they avoided conversation so that they wouldn't attract more attention than necessary, but oh, did they make up for that when they were alone together... They could always find a place to be intimate, and nobody ever saw them or suspected anything. Sansa got many more chances to go to that beach with Sandor, and each time she got even better at the " _lessons_ " that Sandor was giving her. She became wilder and fiercer each day. Nearly a month went on like that.

But not all joy can last forever, and they soon discovered that.

Joffrey was throwing a ball one night. Everyone was there, and Sansa decided that it was the perfect timing to be away from everyone, alone. She excused herself to Joffrey, and he sent her away. She went quietly to her chambers. It wasn't long before Sandor entered them. She hadn't even said hello to him when Sandor threw himself at her and kissed her fiercely. It was a rather welcome thing.

"Good night to you too" she said playfully when she was able to catch her breath.

"It will be a far better night once we are both naked, on the bed, fucking" he said, and she couldn't help but laugh.

They gave in to their wild passion, and in a matter of second her dress was ripped off. Sandor kissed her all over her bare skin.

"I want you, I always want you, now and forever."

"As do I, my love..."

There wasn't any more room for words. Both fell on the bed, kissing, their limbs tangled around each other, caressing every inch of them, moaning...

They didn't hear the door opening suddenly.

" ** _WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"_**

They immediately broke apart and stood up from the bed. Sansa felt like a whole bucket of ice cold water fell on her on that exact moment, and she just wanted to disappear from the world. She hadn't been more scared in her whole life. Sandor was also terrified.

Joffrey was there, at the door, staring at them with his face bright with anger.


	4. I'll Take The Fall For You

Sansa immediately covered herself with Sandor's white cloak. She hadn't been naked when they were interrupted, but she felt like she was. Joffrey looked at her with and incredulous gaze, completely disgusted.

"You treacherous bitch" he snapped.

Sandor stood in front of Sansa, shielding her from the King. Then next to Joffrey appeared Ser Meryn and Ser Boros, along with the Queen and other members from the Kinsguard. Queen Cersei looked first at Sandor and then at Sansa calmy, with a cold stare. Sansa could see in her eyes that she was greatly satisfied.

"I was wondering were you had gone in such a hurry. You have been... _missing_... quite an awful lot lately. I see that we were right to come straight here." Her voice had a false ring of disappointment to it. Sansa dropped her gaze to the floor, afraid and shaking. "Such a disappointment, little dove. But after all, you have the same blood as your traitor father and brother. You are just like all the Starks. And with _the Hound_?" Cersei grinned then, and it wasn't pleasant. "Good gods, girl, you really must be desperate."

The Queen laughed cruelly, and her cold laugh was followed by those of the Kingsguard. Even Joffrey grinned.

Sansa wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears. She grabbed Sandor's arms with her hands to hold on to him just as she heard Joffrey giving an order to his guards.

"Seize them!"

Sandor was quick to find his sword at the side of the bed. With a powerful swing, he cut Ser Meryn almost in half. As horrified as Sansa was by all the blood and the intestines hanging from the knight's open belly, she could have smiled. She didn't forget that he had beat her in several occasions.

"Stay away from her!" the Hound barked with anger both in his voice and in his eyes. He scared even Sansa then.

_Gods, we're all going to die._

"SEIZE THEM!" the king screamed like a spoiled brat. "Or I'll have all your heads!"

And then all the Kingsguard fell on them. Sansa couldn't figure out how they even managed to take the sword out of Sandor's hand. Two more men died before that, though, and later one of the knights hit Sandor in the back of the head, knocking him out, and they took him out of the room. Ser Boros grabbed Sansa by the hair and pulled without any kind of gentleness or mercy and made her follow the other knights crying in pain, and scared to death. They walked by Joffrey's side. He no longer seemed angered, but he did look pleased, just as his mother.

"You'll pay for this, you little cunt" she heard him hiss before she was taken away.

They led her and Sandor to the dungeons and threw them both to a dark, smelly, cold cell. At least she was thankful that they were in the same one, until she realized that that cell might be the one in which her father spent his last hours alive. The thought made her shiver and cry.

Sandor cursed.

"Buggering hells!" he punched the wall with his fist, and Sansa heard a lout cracking sound followed by Sandor's hiss of pain. She didn't know if it was the stone that was broken, or his bones. Maybe both. Sandor turned around to look at Sansa, and she saw not only anger and fear in his eyes, but also tears.

 _Like on the night of the battle_ she remembered.

"I'm so sorry, little bird... I should have known, I'm so stupid. A stupid dog, that's all I am!"

She had thought that he would be angry at her, but it was at him to whom his anger was aimed.

"Don't say that" she said in between sobs. "It's my fault... I am the one that started all this. If I hadn't insisted that day... we wouldn't be here today. And now I'm getting both of us killed" the sobs made it very difficult to breathe, and her chest was moving up and down with painful spasms. Sandor walked to where she was and hugged her tightly against him.

"It is NOT your fault, little bird... And you are not getting us killed. You are not going to die, I will never let that happen. But you must listen to me, and do exactly as I say. Do you understand?"

She noded. Sandor had told her many times that he would always protect her, and somehow she was confident that he would keep his word. He might not be like the knights from the songs, but he has always been her savior.

"When they take us to the throne room, a lot of things will happen, little bird. We will be judged, and what happens depends on what we do. I'll talk to Joffrey, little bird. And whatever I say... you must agree to it. You have to keep yourself alive, little bird."

He took her by the shoulders and shook her a bit without really realizing that he was doing so, but he stopped once she said yes.

"And what about you?" she asked, staring at him with tear-filled eyes. It shattered him to see her like that. "You have to keep yourself alive too..."

"I will, little bird."

"Will you ask for a trial by combat, if we are to be judged?"

"No, little bird... I'm afraid that this will not be about proving my innocence. A trial by combat won't do me any good."

She didn't understand why he was saying that, but he didn't give her any time to ask or wonder. Sandor tool her face in between his huge hands and kissed her tenderly. Sansa could taste the saltiness of his tears on his lips. They sat down on the floor of the cell, Sandor with his back against the wall and Sansa resting in his arms.

"I love you, Sandor..."

"I love you too, little bird."

They stayed like that for hours, they didn't know how many, until they heard steps approaching the cell. Sandor pushed Sansa away from him just before the door opened, and three men from the kingsguard entered the place. Two of them grabbed Sandor, while the last one took Sansa by the arm. They took them out of the dungeons to the throne room. The entire court was there. Joffrey sat on his throne with Cersei at his side, always ready to try to influence his actions. The three guards thrower Sandor and Sansa on their knees in front of the king.

"Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane... It hasn't been long since both of you stood before your king to answer for different crimes..." Queen Cersei said with a displeasing voice that made Sandor angry. If he had his sword, he would cut all of them in half and run away with the little bird. "You are here today because you were found in Lady Sansa's chambers... Sharing a rather private moment."

Sansa felt herself redden, both with shame and anger, and she heard the horrified murmurs of the court. When she raised her eyes, she could see Joffrey and Cersei smiling like they had hours ago, but they were the only ones. Tyrion Lannister, who was already recovered from the wounds he had gotten in the battle, was looking at Sandor and her with a rather disgusted and surprised face. All the other people present were disgusted, and some amused.

Cersei continued talking.

"As Lady Sansa is King Joffrey's betrothed, this is treason."

All blood drained from Sansa's face. She remembered when her father had been unjustly accused of treason.

"No!" she exclaimed, unable to stop herself because of the fear. "It wasn't treason, I'm not a traitor! Joffrey, please! I...!"

"The girl is innocent" Sandor rasped, and Sansa went quiet, lookig at him. The whole room got silent all at once, and all eyes were on Sandor, but he was just looking at Joffrey. "She was not willing, I took her by force."

Sansa's horrified " _no!_ " was silenced by the scandalized gasps and murmurs that immediately filled the throne room. Sansa wanted to protest, but fell silent when she remembered that she had promised Sandor to agree to everything he said. She was sure he knew what he was doing.

Cersei raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You raped my son's betrothed? Is that true, Sansa?"

Before Sansa had the chance to say anything, Joffrey quickly raised from the throne.

"Liar! I saw you both, there wasn't anything unwilling about that. She was _kissing_ you, dog!"

"Any woman tries to please the man that threatens her to stay alive" Sandor said, and he wasn't lying. Sansa had tried many times to please Joff, with her silence and good behavior, so that he wouldn't punish her. But she hated that Sandor was blaming himself.

_Joffrey won't do anything to him, he was his sworn shield since he was a baby. Joffrey owes Sandor his life._

Joffrey was silent, thinking, for a couple of seconds.

"Did you really rape her, Hound?"

"Aye."

For some reason, Joffrey didn't seem to mind that much. He enjoyed having Sansa tortured. He turned his attention to Sansa once more, and he walked down the steps from the thrown to were she was kneeling on the floor.

"Rise" she did as she was told. "So you were raped by my dog... Tell me, sweet Sansa, how did that feel? Did it feel good, or were you screaming in pain?" Sansa was struggling really hard not to tell him the truth, that she loved Sandor. She knew that would only be worse, but he couldn't bear him talking like that. "Were you wet, when he touched you? I'm curious, did he fuck you from behind, like the bitch you are? I'm sure you loved that..."

"Your Grace, please, stop... Please" she begged, but that only seemed to amuse him even more.

"You _did_ like it..." Joffrey looked like a little kid with a new toy. "I should make them bring the dogs from the kennels. Would you like them to fuck you too? I'm sure they would make you wet all the same, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between their cocks and his."

Sansa didn't know why she did it, or even how in seven hells she managed to get the courage (and stupidity) to do such a thing, but before she knew it her hand was in the air, and before she could stop herself, she slapped Joffrey in the face with such intensity that his head turned to the side an he let out a cry of pain. Even her own palm stung painfully.

Again, the throne room was filled with the murmuring voices and gasps of the court. Cersei raised from her seat at one side of the throne, and the guards pointed at Sansa with their swords and spears.

Sansa could see Sandor from the corner of her eye. He had so many emotions on his face that she couldn't decide which one was dominant: surprise, fear, amusement, pride... She had to force back a smile, she was already in too much trouble.

Joffrey looked at her, covering his red stinging cheek with his hand. She had never seen him so enraged.

" _I'll have your head!_ " he yelled.

"Do it" she hissed furiously "and let's see how much more time your uncle keeps his own head on his shoulders."

"Joffrey!" Cersei shouted, suddenly scared, and Sansa knew that she had been right to say that. They couldn't touch her, she knew that. They might punish her, but not kill her, they couldn't. For once, she felt powerful.

She allowed herself to stare at Sandor for a couple of seconds. Yes, there was fear in his eyes, but there was also an immense amount of pride.

 _Seven buggering hells_! He though, amazed. Was that really his little bird? She had been so weak before, and now there she was, daring to hit the king and threaten him in less than a minute. She was becoming strong. He was afraid for her, and at the same time he had never been so proud of her.

Joffrey turned his back on them, racing up the steps to his throne.

"Take them back to the cells! I'll deal with both of you later! OUT!"

Sansa sighted with relief, they were safe. At least for now, they were still alive... But Cersei suddenly decided to spoil her happiness.

"Sansa Stark might not have to be punished, as she was forced. But the Hound is still guilty."

"So? He raped her, and I couldn't care less."

"Your Grace, if any of the men at your service is allowed to abuse the future Queen without having to face the due punishment... what do you think they will dare to do to you? Their king..."

 _No_ Sansa thought. _She's going to spoil everything! Shut up!_

It was too late.

"As always, you are right, Mother" Sansa didn't like the evil malice reflected in Joffrey's green eyes. He looked down at Sandor again. "And Clegane has been off his path many times now... And raping a future Queen is treason. What a pity, dog, you were a good soldier. You are useless now."

For a couple of seconds that for Sansa seemed like hours, everyone stood silent, waiting for Joffrey's decision on Sandor's fate. Sansa could hear her own hear beating fast, like it was ready to get out of her chest.

"Ser Ilyn, bring me his head."

It couldn't be. No, no, it was a nightmare. Sansa wanted to scream, but she caught Sandor's eyes.

 _Don't scream_ his eyes said. _Don't do anything, little bird. Don't let them know you care._

The king's justice took out his sharp sword and approached Sandor, who was being held by the members of the kingsguard so that he wouldn't escape. Sansa felt tears filling her eyes, and she fought to keep them from falling down her face. There was another knight behind her, to hold her in case she did anything foolish.

 _Buggering hells_ Sandor cursed in his mind. That had not gone as well as he had thought. _At least the little bird is alive._ She was keeping herself as calm and still as possible, just as he had told her. What was she going to do now, without him there to protect her? That was what pained him, not going to be able to be there for her anymore... He hadn't kept his promise.

"Good bye, little bird" he rasped with a low voice. She heard him, and one of her tears escaped her will and fell down her cheek, leaving a wet trace on her skin.

 _I love you_ he thought, at the same time that he felt the sword of Ser Ilyn on his neck, trying to get a good aim at it.

 _I must be strong_ Sansa thought. She was screaming inside. It was everything like when her father was killed. She had screamed then to stop it, but it hadn't worked. It wasn't to work now either. But the pain... Gods, it was the worst pain she had ever experienced, like fire burning her from the inside out.

Ser Ilyn raised the sword over his head.

 _Sandor_...

The sword fell down on Sandor, and Sansa screamed.


	5. Tears Don't Fall, They Crash Around Me

Sansa collapsed, just like she had done when her father was killed, before she could see Ser Ilyn Payne's sword cleanly chopping off Sandor's head... She thanked the gods old and new for that.

When she woke up, she felt dizzy. She was lying on something soft, and soon she realized that she was on her bed, back in her chambers. He couldn't quite remember the past night.

 _I had a horrible dream_ she recalled. _Of us being discovered, and Sandor..._

Her eyes hit wide open. Sandor! She had to see him! She needed to hug him and kiss him and tell him that she loved him and hear the same thing from his lips. Oh, it had been the mist awfull nightmare of her life alright.

"M'lady?" she wasn't alone. Sitting next to her bed was Shae, her handmaiden, the only one whom she could trust. "It's good to see that you are awake."

"How long have I slept?"

"A long time, m'lady."

"I had terrible dreams" Sansa whispered, feeling a could shiver shaking her body when she recalled the awful moment when the Joffrey in her dreams had asked for Sandor's head. "Terrible dreams..."

She then saw Shae's dark eyes. They were full of pity, and she was biting her lip, as if she were hiding something and deciding whether to tell it or not. Sansa was not stupid.

"Shae, what's wrong?"

"Nothing m'lady, maybe you should get more rest."

"Shae, tell me what it is you are hiding from me. Now."

Shae looked like she was having an intense struggle within herself. Finally she took a deep breath, having decided, unable to fight Sansa's stare.

"M'lady... Those were not dreams that you had. It was real."

For a couple of seconds, Sansa thought that was Shae was saying didn't make any sense. How could they be real? They were dreams, just that!

Except they weren't. Shae was right. When Sansa came to realize this, she felt as if the sky had fallen upon her, and she felt it's full weight on her, crushing her. She felt a strong pain in her stomach provoked by the sudden grief that flooded her.

"No" she whispered, unable to find her voice. She started shaking her head very fast, denying the truth. "No, NO! I can't be! It's not true! Please, Shae, tell me it's not true!"

"I'm sorry m'lady..."

"NO!" she screamed, out of control. "It can't be, he's not dead! HE'S NOT DEAD!"

"Lady Sansa..."

"SANDOR! NO!"

"Lady Sansa, stop it, they are gonna hear you..."

"LET THEM HEAR ME, I DON'T CARE! THEY HAVE TAKEN EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!"

She tried to get out of the bed to get to the door, but Shae wouldn't let her.

"They haven't taken away your life yet!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY LIFE! I JUST WANT SANDOR!"

"M'lady, stop it! He gave his life to protect your own. You must not insult his memory by throwing your life away. You must calm down."

Shae was right, and Sansa knew it, thought it was so painful... Sandor was gone because of her, and there was nothing she could do about it...

"Joffrey did it. He did it again. He killed Sandor just as he killed my father."

"Your presence is requested in the king's chambers, m'lady."

_Does he want to find joy in my grief? Or does he want to show me Sandor's head on a spike, just like he showed me my father's...?_

If that was the case, Sandor wasn't there this time to stop her from killing Joffrey. Nothing would stop her this time.

"Help me get ready" she said. She had already calmed down, though her face was still red and she sobbed from time to time.

But that horrible hole that she had inside of her began to be filled with hatred towards Joffrey, towards the Queen, towards everybody. The only thing that she wished for was to see all of them dead at her feet.

She chose a gray plain dress that perfectly reflected how she felt: numb, empty... She let her hair down, she did not have the time nor the mood to be pretty that day, or any day from now on. She walked alone from her chambers to Joffrey's. There was a new sworn shield at the door, and Sansa immediately hated him for taking Sandor's place.

She went inside the room. Cersei was the one waiting for her there.

"Ah, I see you've already awaken!" Cersei explained. "Good. We were starting to worry about you."

Sansa didn't reply, she just stared at the Queen with pure hatred, but that only made Cersei smile.

"Why do you have such a face, little dove? Come on, smile a bit, that's better."

"You wanted to see me, your Grace?"

"Yes. Yes, little dove, I fear we have important and urgent matters to discuss. Such a pity that things had to end like that."

Sansa still didn't say anything, and Cersei kept smiling.

"There is no need for you to keep secrets anymore, Sansa" the Queen said. She had a cup of Dornish wine on her hands, and she drank from it. "The truth is known already. That scream of yours gave you away."

"I screamed because I'm not used to the beheading of men, your Grace."

"You lie. I recognize pain perfectly, and that scream... That scream carried the deepest, strongest pain that a person is capable of feeling. Sandor Clegane is dead already, and you can be done no harm, so why keep lying? Sit down, Sansa."

Sansa did as told. Cersei served them both a cup of wine, and Sansa drank quickly from it. She just wanted to pass out again, and forget everything.

"Tell me, Sansa. How long were you and Clegane seeing each other behind my son's back?"

"Since the battle of Blackwater" Sansa confessed with a numb voice, staring blankly at the empty cup of wine. Cersei served her another cup. Sansa knew that what the Queen wanted was to make her talk more, but it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore.

"When was the first time that he took you?"

"The day that he came with me outside of the Red Keep."

"Huh. I'm surprised, Sansa, I always thought you a proper little lady. I see you are just a whore little all the others."

"Do you mean a whore like yourself?"

Cersei's arm stopped mid-air with another cup in hand, and the Queen stared at Sansa in shock. For once, Sansa felt proud, like when she slapped Joffrey.

"What?"

"I remember you telling me that a woman's best weapon is between her legs, and you seem to master that weapon."

Everyone has heard the rumors. You are no better than I am. You are worse- Sansa hissed with anger. It was a strange new feeling; she had never felt like that or spoken like that. What was happening to her? Had a part of her died, and a new one replaced the old version of her? The naive, sweet, innocent girl was no more.

"You insolent child" Cersei didn't seem so pleased now.- Joffrey wants to see you. I imagine you won't be so brave when you are with him.

"I have nothing left to lose."

Cersei laughed.

"That's what you think, but you don't know how wrong you are."

And though it was absurd, Sansa knew perfectly well that that was a threat. But Cersei was wrong; Sansa didn't have anything to lose. She didn't even want to go back with her family. She imagined what they would say once they knew she had been Sandor Clegane's woman willingly, that she had fallen in love with him. They would hate her.

Joffrey was waiting for Sansa again in the throne room. Once more, the whole court was there. Sansa didn't want to see any of them, she hated them too, because they did all that Joffrey asked them and never stood against him. They had allowed that murder to happen. There, in that throne room, Sansa had lost many people. Her grandfather and uncle were murdered by the Mad King; her father was arrested; and her lover was executed.

She stopped walking in front of the king and vowed her head.

"Your Grace."

"Lady Stark, you caused quite a commotion when you fainted in such a way. Are you feeling unwell?"

Sansa knew that false kindness perfectly fine. She felt that empty whole inside of her again when she stared at the place in which Sandor used to be every time that she had to face Joffrey, but that place wasn't occupied by him anymore. She was alone.

"No, your Grace, I am fine."

"I am curious about what the reason might have been? For your fainting, I mean. Mother, you are a woman just like her, do you have any ideas?"

Cersei smirked while she walked towards the seat that she occupied near the throne of her son.

"A bitch mourns her hound" was all she said.

Laughter filled all the space between the four walls of the throne room, laughter that came from all the people present them. Sansa didn't want to see them, didn't want to hear them… They were laughing at her, because of her.

 _Stop, just shut up!_ She thought, desperate. She wanted to be away from there, disappear… She wanted to become no one. She wanted to die.

"You are here to receive your punishment, Lady Sansa" Joffrey said.

"My punishment?!" she gasped. "I have done nothing!"

"Stop lying! We all share my Mother's opinion. A raped girl would have never screamed like that for the man that abused her. Not even a stupid girl like you" Joffrey spat. "You are not fit anymore to wed the King and become Queen. I have consulted it with the High Septon, and he agrees that your… indiscretion… breaks any holy vows or compromise that exists between both of us."

Far from seeing that as a punishment, Sansa found it a blessing. She was no longer betrothed to Joffrey! She was free! She didn't enjoy it as much as she would have is Sandor was there, and even then she still felt grief inside her. That pain in her heart and soul would take a lot of time to fade away, maybe it would never do so. But at least she wouldn't have to spend the rest of her life at the side of the boy that murdered her father and Sandor.

"I shall wed Lady Margaery Tyrell, who recently became a widow and belongs to a House allied to the crown. She will make a fine better Queen."

"I agree, your Grace. I was not fit for such an important role. Is that all, your Grace?"

"No" Sansa didn't like the ring of Joffrey's voice. She knew something bad was about to happen. Would she order her too to be beheaded?

 _He can't do that, they already told you so_ A voice said inside her head. But it wouldn't be so bad if he did. At least I would be reunited with Sandor.

"You will receive the punishment of your shame, and your humiliation."

Sansa didn't understand, until Ser Boros walked towards her and pushed her, throwing her to the floor near the people from the king's court. She exclaimed with pain when something hard hit her in the back of her head. She tried to see what had hit her, and found an apple at her side. Before she could even put her thought in order and realize what was happening, something else hit her, this time on the back. She felt something wet and sticky on her dress, and when she turned there was a broken tomato on the floor. Then she looked at the people in court. All of then had fruits, tomatoes and so in their hands. She didn't even bother to tell them to stop; all the tomatoes, apples, pears, and eggs started raining over her, hitting her, covering her with sticky juices and egg yolk. She just stood there on the floor, not saying a thing, except crying when something hit her hard enought or in her face. It seemed to go on forever, and theyvstarted to shout at her.

"Whore! Whore!" some shouted.

"A dog's bitch!" said others

"Traitor!" she thought she heard. She didn't care.

She could also hear Joffrey's cruel loud laughter, and giggles that came from someone else.

_I deserve it, but not for betraying Joffrey... I killed Sandor. It's my fault, I killed him._

She cried in pain when someone (she couldn't see who) threw a stone at her that hit her in the ribs.

"WHORE!"

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they stopped throwing things at her. She was hurting in several places, covered in apple, pear, and tomato bits and juice, making her feel dirtier than ever, and completelly humilliated, but she didn't care about that. She didn't care about anything.

"Can I please go now, your Grace?" she asked with a weak voice.

"Yes, leave. You are so disgusting right now I can't even look at you."

But she didn't listen to him, as soon as he had said "yes", she was already leaving the throne room, looking down and with quick steps. When she arrived in her chambers, she was glad that there was no one there. She closed the door and stood agaisnt it, afraid that someone else would come looking for herz she didn't want to see or speak to anyone ever again.  
Slowly, she slipped down the door until she sat on the floor, and then, finally feeling free to do so, she strmarted to cry, and she cried more than she ever had in her life.

* * *

He had heard the little bird scream. He thought it would be the last thing he would ever hear in his life, and it broke his heart. Then he felt a strong pain on the back of his head and everything had turned black.

He openned his eyes slowly. Everything was dark, and the back of his head hurt. That's when he remembered. The sword had never gotten to him, it had hit the stone floor in front of him, at mere inches from were he stood. He had seen Sansa; the little bird had fainted on the floor.

 _The little bird couldn't bear the thought of me dying_ he realized.

He looked around in the dark, he didn't know where he was, or why the was there.

"What is this?" he barked at the dark.

"Your fate was decided before you two were taken out of the dungeons" Joffrey said, speaking from somewhere in the shadows, and he tensed. "I must say, that was an interesting show. Did you hear how she screamed in the end? Your lie was convincing, dog, but I have no doubts now. You didn't rape her. You fucked her, and she fucked you."

There was no way to deny it, not after the way Sansa had screamed when she thought he would die. Sandor thanked the gods that she had fainted, so that she didn't have to endure anything more. But now that Joffrey was sure of the affair between him and Sansa, Sandor was more afraid than before that she would get punished in some horrible way.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"You are going to be taken away from King's Landing." Joffrey said. "Everyone will think that you did rape Lady Sansa indeed. And her... she will remain here. Now that you've made sure that she's a whore, I'll have my fun with her."

Sandor saw red.

"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF GOLDEN SHIT!"

"Don't talk to me like that, I am the king!"

"I don't buggering care who you are, or what you are! I've killed men stronger and braver than you, you pathetic little boy, I could break your neck with my little finger if I wanted to!"

"Perhaps it would be better if we send Ckegane on his way" said another voice in the dark, and Sandor recognized Tyrion Lannister.

"Stay out of this, Imp! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITHOUT HER!" Sandor yelled.

"She stays here" Joffrey hissed. "And you won't see her ever again."

Sandor fell silent, and Joffrey left the place with a smirk on his face, leaving Tyrion and Sandor behind. Tyrion stared at Sandor with pity.

"You are lucky, Clegane" he said. "I bet all my gold that any other man would be dead by now."

"I don't give a fucking shit about my life. Where is Sansa? What did he do to her?"

"She's no longer to be Queen. And she doesn't know that you are alive. I would be the best for everyone if it stayed that way."

"I won't leave without her."

"You have no choice, Clegane."

As Tyrion was about to leave, Sandor stopped him.

"How is she?"

"She's not broken. Yet."

_Yet?_

He wanted to ask the bloddy Imp what in seven hells he meant by that, but the dwarf had already left and locked the door behind him.

 _Little bird..._ Was his last thought as he closed his eyes.


	6. There Are Still Traces Of Me In Your Veins

Sansa woke up feeling sick... Again. It had been almost two weeks since Sandor's execution, and during those days she had never gone out of her chambers. She only slept and ate, and the little food that she managed to consume was forced down her throat by her maid. Tyrion Lannister was the one that had asked them to take good care of her. He had come to see her one day after he noted her continued absence.

"You should go out, my Lady. Let the sun touch your face, you don't look well" he had said.

"I want to stay here" she insisted.

"My Lady, you can not lock yourself in for the rest of your life."

"There is nothing out there that I can enjoy anynore."

And Tyrion didn't bother her anymore. He felt pity for her, unlike all the others. Shae was also the only one that treated her gently.

"You have to wake up, m'lady" she said one morning.

Sansa protested, she didn't want to get out of bed.

"M'lady, you have to. The Queen wants to break her fast with you, the King and Prince Tommen."

"Tell them that I am unwell."

"I already did, but Joffrey said that if you didn't go he would send Boros to fetch you."

That was enought to make Sansa get up from bed. She didn't care about her life anymore, but she didn't want to endure the pain of a beating again. The maids had prepared her a hot bath and she washed herself in it. Then Shae took care of her hair until it was clean and shinny and pretty again, and then she helped Sansa get dressed with a deep blue silk dress.

"You look beautiful" Shae said with a smile, trying to cheer the girl up, but it didn't work.

And then it happened. Sansa couldn't help herself. A wave of nausea hit her and she bent over, vomiting on the floor.

" **Ugh!"** she cried, ashamed and disgusted. It wasn't the first time it happened, though. She had been vomiting each morning for the last couple of days. After emptying her stomach, she didn't feel sick anymore. She believed that this was happening to her because of the emotional state in which she was; surely that amount of emotional pain was torturing her body and her stomach, not just her mind.

"Sorry..." she said to Shae, but the maid didn't seem to mind.

"It's alright. I'll have it cleaned while you are gone."

Luckily, her dress wasn't dirty. She ashed her mouth and splashed her face with cool water, and left to break her fast with the king and his family.

"Hello Sansa!" Tommen exclaimed, happy to see her once she walked in and took her seat.

"Good morning, my Prince" she said, faking a smile for the kid.

However, it faded from her face as soon as she saw Cersei and Joffrey.

"It is good to see you out of your chambers, dear" Cersei said with a smile as fake as Sansa's had been. "I've heard from your maids that you have been unwell?"

"My stomach seems to be disagreeing with me, your Grace."

"How so? Did you eat something in bad state?"

"I don't know, your Grace. I wake up with nausea in the mornings."

Sansa saw something in Cersei's eyes, though she could not decipher what. She was sure that the Queen was happy to know that she was sick.

"What kind of stupid conversation is this, anyways?" Joffrey asked, irritated. "Just shut up and eat."

Sansa obeyed. Somehow, the appetite that she had lost for days seemed to have come back. Without forgetting her manners, Sansa started devouring the food that was placed in front of her, and couldn't deny her delight when she saw a plate full of lemoncakes.

"Have you been starving yourself these past days, child?" Cersei asked. She seemed to be finding something very funny.

"I wasn't hungry. I'm not hungry right now either, but..." but she couldn't stop.

"You are going to get fat like a pig" Joffrey said, disgusted.

"Well, it shouldn't be of your concern anymore. Lady Margaery is to be your Queen now, not me. She's the one that should be beautiful."

"And she is. You shall meet her soon, once she arrives from Highgarden. It won't be long before we are wed."

Sansa hoped that that day would arrive soon, so that Joffrey and the Lannisters would finally leave her alone. She didn't want to be there, she wanted to run away or be left alone in an empty room to die by herself. She also didn't want to be in that table with them any longer.

"I'm already full" she lied. "May I return to my chambers?"

"Not quite yet, Sansa" Cersei said. "You see, we have to decide what we are going to do with you, since you are no longer Joffrey's betrothed. It was suggested by the small council that you marry Lord Baelish, or even my brother Tyrion" this made Cersei laugh. Joffrey grinned, and Sansa looked at both of them with horrified eyes. _**The Imp?**_ She could not marry him! "But of course, I refused. He might be an Imp, but he's still my brother and a Lannister of Casterly Rock. He can not marry some dishonored woman and carry for life the consequences of her sins."

"And what consequences would those be?" Sansa asked with a sharper tone that she had intended, looking at Cersei straight in the eyes.

"Oh, but you don't know?" again, Cersei laughed. It was making Sansa nervous. "Little dove, when was the last time that you bled?"

_What? What has my moonblood to do with this?_

Sansa had only bled once. It had been started before the day of the battle of Blackwater. Then she realized something... She had been for the first time with Sandor ten days after the battle, when he took her to that beach. They were discovered a month after that, and two weeks had passed since his death...

 _Seven weeks..._ No, no, this couldn't be happening, it was not happening! _I must not tell them. If they know..._

 _"_ Three weeks" she managed to lie, and she fought hard to hide the horror and shock in her face.

Cersei narrowed her eyes. Sansa's lie had not been as convincing as she had hoped.

"Do you expect me to believe that? I've been a mother, Sansa, you can not fool me. You can not fool anyone. Sandor Clegane's seed has borne it's fruit inside your womb."

"I'm not pregnant!" Sansa almost shouted. She didn't know what would happen with her now, and she was terrified... Terrified for that baby that she was carrying inside her. What would Joffrey do to him?

"You are" that was the last thing Cersei had to say, Sansa couldn't fight her no more.

The girl stood up from her chair and walked to the other side of the room, to the balcony where she could see the whole city displayed in front of her. If only she could escape and get lost in it... Without really noticing, she covered her womb tenderly with her hands.

_A baby... Sandor's baby..._

Suddenly, she felt strong again. That baby inside her was giving her strength, strength to survive, to protect him. She now had a reason to live, and it was her unborn son or daughter. Her child and Sandor's. He was gone, but a part of him had stayed behind with her.

"Is Sansa going to have a baby?" little Tommen asked. He seemed delighted with the idea. He was such a sweet little boy... Sansa wished the rest of the people in the castle were like him.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Joffrey spoke. She feared him much more than she feared his mother.

"She's a slut, what Lord would want to marry her?"

 _I am the one that doesn't want to marry them!_ Sansa exclaimed in her thoughts, but she didn't say it aloud.

Joffrey stood up from his chair too and walked to her side. She could feel his gaze on her, but she kept her eyes away from him, even when he was so close that she could feel also his breath.

"Tell me, Sansa, what should I do with you, and that bastard that you carry inside you? Maybe... Maybe I should just cut him out and give it to the dogs."

Sansa lost it. "You will **not** touch my son!"

She could have slapped him again in that moment, because of how furious she felt, but Joffrey laughed cruelly and walked away from her, returning to the table and to his breakfast.

"Actually, I already know what I'm going to do with you."

Cersei looked at her son with curiosity; she clearly didn't know what his plans with Sansa were. Suddenly, Sansa was afraid. Joffrey never made a decision that she liked, much less that was good for her.

"You are going to have a Clegane pup" Joffrey said while biting an apple. "It should be fitting that you marry a Clegane dog."

_A Clegane dog? But Sandor is dead..._

Then horror struck her. Joffrey was marrying her off to Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain.

* * *

Sandor had known for a while were he was being taken, he had already taken the same path not long ago when he accompanied King Robert to see his new Hand. All doubt that could have remained in him faded away once they passed Winterfell and left it behind, but it wasn't till he saw his final destination that he felt completely screwed.

 _Seven fucking buggering hells, just what I needed_ he thought sarcastically.

The Wall raised in front of him, all made of stone and ice and towering to the skies. It was fucking cold in that place, but now Sandor felt even more fucking cold after seeing that.

_And I have to spend the rest of my life in this fucking place? Bugger me! Bugger them all with a hot poker._

If he could lay his hands on the bastard Joffrey, he would kill him without a thought. He should have killed him back at King's Landing, and the fucking Imp too, and then he should have taken the little bird and ran off to safety with her! He should have ran with her months ago, during the battle, of after it! Or when they went to the beach!

_You are a stupid dog, that's all that you are. You didn't do things right and now what? You are going to rot in a freezing hell, and the little bird is most likely living another hell!_

He didn't know what had happened to his little bird. The Imp had only told him that she wasn't broken yet. That _"yet"_ was exactly what made his blood boil. If Joffrey dared to touch her...

 _What will you do? You are trapped here, you fucking idiot!_ A voice inside his head yelled at him.

He had been traveling with other people. A black brother that had come to fetch people for the Night's Watch, and a dozen of criminals found in King's Landing. They had all stayed away from him, afraid. He would hear them whisper the whole time. The Hound this, the Hound that... One day he had glared at them so fiercely that one of them had pissed his pants and the color had been drained from their faces, and heard no whispers no more. But the whispers started again once they reached the Wall.

"What in seven fucking hells is the fucking Hound doing here?" a man from the Night's Watch exclaimed as soon as he saw him, recognizing the burns in his face.

"It's the Hound!"

" _The Hound_!"

And old man approached him. Sandor knew who he was: Jeor Mormont, Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. The man seemed confused of seeing him there.

"Clegane" he said "many are the crimes you have committed, everyone knows that. Crimes far worse than those this men here committed. Why are you here?"

When he didn't reply, the man that had taken him from King's Landing to the Wall laughed and answered for him.

"He fucked the wrong cunt! Ned Stark's daughter, the elder one."

Before Sandor could even blink, someone had jumped over him and thrown him to the ground covered in snow, and punched him in the good side of his face.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" Jon Snow yelled in his face before punching him again. "My sister! What did you do to my sister!"

"Jon, stop it!" a fat boy said, but Snow didn't listen to him. He punched Sandor a third time in the face. Sandor didn't fight back. He deserved it, he knew he deserved it...

"Snow, stop!" Jeor Mormont commanded. Two boys grabbed Snow and pulled him away from Sandor, but he tried to get rid of them.

"No! Let me go! I'm going to kill him! He raped my sister!"

"I didn't rape her!" Sandor barked, suddenly furious.

"Liar! You did!"

"No, I didn't! do you think that the king would have sent me here if I had? He would have been delighted with me! But what really happened is that we were discovered, and we weren't doing anything that she didn't want!"

"Are you calling my sister a whore?!" Jon seemed even more enraged now.

_Fucking stupid kid._

"No. That I would _never_. Your sister is pure, and innocent, a pretty little bird. And I love her, just as she loves me. That's why I'm here! That's my crime!" Sandor rasped, suddenly feeling drained of his energy.

A stunned silence followed his words. Jon looked at him as if he was mad.

" _Love?_ Do you really think that I'm that stupid?!"

"Aye. Think whatever you want, Snow, I don't give a shit. If you choose to believe that I took your pretty sister by force, it's no hair off my arse. In fact, maybe it would be better that way. Believe that I raped her, hate me! I hate myself for putting her in danger, when I should have protected her... She's probably suffering now because of me..."

He walked away from them, and nobody stopped him, not even Jon Snow.

* * *

Sansa had fought and kicked and screamed, but nothing had stopped them from dragging her out of her chambers to her Sept of Baelor, where she was now facing the High Septon alongside Ser Gregor Clegane. She had never felt so tiny and powerless, and when the Mountain took away her maiden cloak and put on her shoulders the yellow cloak with the three black dogs of his house, she wanted to cry, but she didn't. She had no more tears to shed.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine that the enormous man next to her was Sandor Clegane, the man she loved with all her heart, and that the cloak that rested on her shoulder meant that she was his wife. SHe loved that little fantasy that she was creating inside her head. But it shattered as soon as she opened her eyes and saw that her husband wasn't her beloved Sandor, but his monstrous older brother. His eyes scared her mush more than Sandor's had when she had first met him; they were grey, exactly like his younger brother's were, but full of dangerous lust, and bloodthirsty. Sansa wasn't scared, she was _terrified._ She covered her tummy in a protective way, feeling the beating of a minuscule heart inside her. She thanked the gods old and new that Joffrey and Cersei had forbidden Gregor to take her until the baby was born, in fear that anything would happen to it. Sansa couldn't deny that the fact that Joffrey was so interested in her baby made her shiver with fear too, but at least, it would keep her baby safe from Ser Gregor for now. She had to worry about on thing at a time.

To make sure that Ser Gregor obeyed to the king's orders, he and his new wife were going to stay in the Red Keep for the next seven months. For the first time since she was there, Sansa felt safe and relieved that she could stay in the castle. But still, Ser Gregor frightened more than anything, with his towering height and his cruel face. Sansa hated him. He was the one that had burned Sandor's face when he was a little boy, he was the one that had caused her beloved so much pain and anger; the one that had turned him into a freak at the eyes of everyone and had turned Sandor's heart black for years. Sansa could have killed him for that, if she had the courage and the chance.

"Move, little wife" he say, taking her ungallantly from the arm and pushing her to walk with him. They must attend their wedding feast.

Sansa took a deep breath. _I must be brave_ she told herself once more. _For my child._

_Her unborn baby was all that could keep her alive now, and for him, she wanted to live and fight for her life. Sandor hadn't left her alone after all._


	7. They Can Keep Me Alive 'Till I Tear The Walls

**Notes:** _So, this is a rather uncomfortable chapter... I'm warning that it contains graphic descriptions of violence and abuse both physical and sexual and I'm afraid that it might bother somebody... I'm just warning! I hope everyone is ok with it, and if not, I'm terribly sorry. Gregor is in the story, it couldn't be done any other way._

* * *

 

Sansa didn't like tourneys, something bad always happened in them. It was Lady Margaery's name day, and Joffrey had ordered the tourney to be organized in her honor. Sansa hadn't wanted to be there, she had said that she did not feel well, but her lord husband had commanded her to go.

" _If you disobey me, I don't care what your precious king says, I'll beat you bloody_ " he had warned her that morning, so Sansa had had no other choice but to get dressed and attend the event to watch Ser Gregor joust.

She remembered the first tourney she had seen, the one that had been in honor of her father. Ser Gregor had lost then, and part of Sansa wanted him to lose again, but part of her wished that he would win so that he wouldn't be angry. She was terrified of him. They had been married a month, and it had been the worst month of her life. Gregor was even worse than Joffrey. The king and Cersei had ordered him not to beat her in her state, but they had said nothing about hitting her in the face. The first time he had slapped her had been a couple of days after they were wed. He had told her to help him put his armor on, but it was so huge and heavy that she couldn't even lift it up. Even if she had been able to, she had never helped a man into his armor, she didn't know how to put it on! So Gregor had punished her for her incompetence, and he had left a big, red, painful mark on her cheek. But she hadn't said anything... She didn't even cry, so that she wouldn't anger him more.

She couldn't even remember why he had hit her the other times. She just kept silent and endured. At least she was grateful that their bedding hadn't happened yet, and would not happen in many more months. Sansa was sure that when the time came, that pain would be greatest than any that she had suffered until the moment.

She didn't pay any attention to the tourney, distracted as she was. She was covering her belly with delicate hands, softly caressing it through the layers of silk that covered her. She was only three months pregnant, but she did have a little bump in her stomach. She kept picturing her baby in her mind, a little boy with her red hair and Sandor's grey eyes. He would be beautiful, and strong, and gentle. She was only afraid that he would be raised by Gregor and he would manipulate her child, or abuse him or hurt him. She knew of the mysterious deaths that clouded Gregor Clegane's history. His father's "hunting accident", his sister and his two previous wive's deaths... Sansa recalled the burns on her beloved Sandor's face, and how he had told her how Gregor made them to him when he was a child. What if Gregor did that to her son?

 _I will kill him before he dares to touch my baby_ Sansa thought.

She heard cheering, but it sounded distant to her. A hand shook her shoulder gently.

"Sansa!" Prince Tommen was calling her, and she came back to reality. The cheering sounded much louder now. "Look, your husband won!"

It was true. Gregor had unhorsed the last man standing, some knight that Sansa did not know, and thus he was the champion.

_At least he will be happy and he will leave me alone._

They were headed now for a feast. Sansa followed everybody without speaking a word, until Queen Cersei approached her.

"Sansa" she called for her, and the girl looked up to the Queen's eyes. "How are you, little dove?"

"I'm good, your Grace."

Cersei stared for a few seconds at the red mark that Gregor had left in her cheek.

"I see that you are still having trouble with your husband."

"He is a difficult man, your Grace" Sansa said as calmly as it was possible to her, though she was finding it difficult. Cersei was amused.

"I see. Is he hurting you in other ways?"

"No, your Grace. He knows that the king will not allow it. For now."

"Good. Now go and eat, child. You will not have a healthy little baby if you starve yourself."

Cersei walked away, and when they reached the table for the feast, Sansa sat next to her husband, who completely ignored her. She was thankful for that. She tried to eat as fast as possible, so that she could leave the table early. She wanted to be back in her chambers, away from everybody, and specially Joffrey and Gregor. Without even asking for permission, she left as soon as she was full.

They had moved her to larger chambers, which she had to share with her husband even if they did not do their marriage duties. Sansa hated having to share the bed with that man. Every night he would climb on the bed, naked, and he would strip her naked too even if she didn't want to. Sansa was always afraid that Gregor would forget Joffrey's orders of not taking her yet, but the huge and cruel man only wanted to torture her. He touched her everywhere with ungentle hands, and she always had to bite her lips so hard that she bled, but it kept her from crying and angering him. But sometimes she just couldn't handle it anymore.

" _Please, don't..._ " she sobbed one day, and his huge hand closed around her neck.

" _You are my wife. I will do with you whatever the fuck I want, understand? You. Are. **Mine**."_

So she had no choice other than to shut up and let him touch her in a way that left bruises all over her body. Then, as he could not fuck her, he fucked her hand furiously. She felt sick and disgusted, and even more when he released his seed all over the place. She wanted to throw up, but would not give him that satisfaction.

" _I will fuck you for real one day, gir_ l" he always said. " _And you will scream more than you even did for my pathetic brother."_

She wanted to kill him. Better yet, she wanted to kill Joffrey, for marrying her off to that beast, for killing Sandor and her father, for everything! She swore in her mind that one day, she would see all of them dead, even if it took years.

 _Don't worry_ she though, _talking to her little baby in her mind while she caressed her belly. I love you, and I will always keep you safe. Mommy will keep you safe..._

That night, Gregor returned very drunk, more than he usually did. Sansa could smell the scent of wine from several feet away. Gregor stared at her for several silent and awkward seconds. His grey eyes, identical to Sandor's but full of sick lust, devoured her.

"Get naked" was all her said.

Sansa wanted to protest, but there was nothing she could do. She unlaced her dress and got out of it, and Ser Gregor commanded her to get closer to him. She felt minuscule at his side. The man started unlacing his breeches, and Sansa gasped, horrified and confused.

"My lord?"

"Shut up. If I can't fuck your cunt, I'll fuck your mouth."

"You can't...!"

He grabbed her hair and pulled, making her cry.

"You don't tell me what I can or what I can't do, _bitch"_ he rasped.

"But... but it's not proper..." she said, trying to find a way out.

He laughed at that.

"No? And what is proper? Tell me you little cunt! Is it proper to fuck my brother like some filthy whore, maybe?" when she didn't reply anything, he laughed again. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Now, get to it."

_No, please... Don't make me do this._

His cock was free from his breeches. It was huge and stiff. She could only imagine the pain and the damage he would cause her once he was allowed to bed her. Right now she was disgusted by it, and felt sick as soon as she thought of what he wanted her to do. Gregor was growing impatient; he grabbed her hair and pulled her head to his groin. Her lips where about to touch the tip of his enormous cock when the doors opened behind them.

"Clegane, you must come. The king requests your presence."

Sansa had never been so relieved to see the Imp. She pulled away as quickly as she could and covered herself with her dress, picking it up from the floor. She didn't even have time to feel embarrassed, she was too busy thinking that the gods had sent Lord Tyrion to save her. However, Gregor didn't look so happy.

"Don't you know the meaning of a closed door, Imp?" he snapped.

"Funny enough, I recall saying to my brother something very similar to that. The king awaits you, Ser Clegane, don't make him wait more. You know how pissed he can get, and I'm not in the mood to listen to his incessant complains."

"I'll go when I'm done with my wife."

"I'm sure your wife can wait. Plus, you wouldn't like me telling the king that you are disturbing the poor girl, would you? If anything happens to the baby, it will be on your head."

For a second, Sansa thought that Gregor would crush Tyrion. It would be so easy, Lannister didn't even reach the Mountain's knee. But Clegane was like his brother, a Lannister dog, obedient. So he bowed his head and laced his breeches, then left the room cursing under his breath. When they were alone, Sansa stared at Tyrion with teary eyes.

"Thank you, my Lord" she whispered, and the dwarf dedicated her a faint smile.

"Are you alright, milady?"

She nodded. Tyrion wasn't so sure, but he decided that it would be better not to insist.

"Sleep well, milady. I'll make sure your lord husband is occupied for the rest of the night."

Sansa felt so grateful that she could have kissed him. Instead, she bowed her head and smiled, unable to say anything, and Tyrion left the same way as Gregor had moments ago. Sansa changed into a nightgown and climbed into the bed. She covered herself completely with the bedsheets from head to toe, like she used to do when she was a little girl and she had nightmares, and prayed for what seemed like hours that Gregor didn't return.

The gods where good, and Lord Tyrion had kept his promise. Sansa was able to sleep peacefully that night, and for once she had pleasant dreams, in which she was back at Winterfell, and her husband was Sandor, and he smiled warmly to her and their beautiful red-haired son.

* * *

Sandor had refused to take his vows. He had been in the Wall five weeks already. When the time came that all the new recruits had to take their vows to oficially become part of the Night's Watch, he had confronted Lord Commander Mormont and he had explained to him what he thought of vows; that they were all a lot of fat lies. Luckily, his fame preceded him, and Mormont already knew that even thought Sandor never took any kind of vows, he always carried on with his duties, so he wasn't forced to make any promise to the gods and he was named a ranger of the Night's Watch. He had to stay in the Wall anyways; if he didn't, bad things would happen to his little bird.

He never spoke with anyone, but he did his duties obediently and helped training the new recruits that kept arriving to that goddamned place. They were all scared boys who didn't even know how to hold a sword properly, and they pissed themselves each time that he charged against them, even though they knew it wasn't a real fight. Sandor would have killed them all if he could, just so that he could stop being surrounded by useless brats. His time there was being probably some of the most horrible days of his entire life. He was in the middle of a fucking freezing hell, but he preferred to suffer the cold than to get any closer to the fires the other men did. He would not be caught dead near any flames.

Jon Snow hadn't spoken to him ever since the day Sandor arrived, nor had they fought again. Jeor Mormont had made sure of it by giving them very different tasks, not wanting to take the risk of having them unsheathing their swords and charging against the other. Mormont knew that Snow didn't stand a chance against the Hound. But those days of not speaking came to an end one evening, when Sandor was sharpening his sword inside an empty room. The door suddenly opened and Jon Snow came storming inside, with the fat boy, Sam, following him.

"Jon, don't..." he was trying to say, but his friend wasn't listening to him.

"I want to know all that happened with you and my sister" Snow demanded, looking at Sandor harshly, his eyes dark. "Now."

"What makes you think that I'll tell you anything?" the Hound rasped.

"You'll do if you want to keep living."

Sandor stood up from the chair on which he was sitting, but he didn't put down his longsword. Sam looked like he wanted to run away and hide, but Jon didn't move.

"I've killed men bigger than you, and better warriors than you, boy" Sandor said. "I would cut you in half if you try anything stupid."

"Do that, and Lord Mormont will have your head."

Sandor scoffed. "You think I care? They've already taken away the only thing I love. Why would my head matter?"

He knew that Snow was confused and was trying to decide whether if he was lying or not.

"You do not believe me. Not until I tell you everything. Seven fucking hells, boy, alright..."

He told Snow everything, from when he tried to protect the little bird up to when they where discovered by Joffrey. Both Jon and Sam listened quietly until Sandor was finished. Sam had his eyes wide with shock, and Jon... well, Jon's face was blank. Sandor didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

"So, Joffrey sent you here, while he kept my sister at his side to suffer" Snow finally muttered between his teeth. He was still angry, but Sandor could feel that some of that anger was slowly drifting away from him and pointing towards Joffrey. Though Sandor felt that he was the one that deserved to be hated. He would always feel like that. "I'm surprised he didn't do anything worse to you. Knowing what he is capable of, I would have thought he'd burn you alive or something."

Sandor scoffed. "Many he planned to do so. But he knows that my worst torment and suffering is knowing that I'm trapped here, and she's prisoner there."

" _If_ you ever manage to get out.. _. If_ I help you... Will you save her?"

"Aye."

"Hopefully Robb will get her out soon enough" Jon sighted. Sandor wouldn't be so sure of that, the Young Wolf had had countless occasions to get his sister back, and he had never agreed to any of the conditions the Lannisters gave him... nor had they accepted his. "I'm sorry for hitting you when you came."

"I deserved it."

"Maybe a bit, but you are a good man, I can see that now. I trust you. And I can see in your eyes that you are not lying, that you really love my sister."

"With all my heart" Sandor nodded, and he and Sandor shook hands.

"She'll be alright" Jon said. "For now it's you for whom you have to worry about. The North is a wild place, and you are about to go to an even wilder place. Beyond the Wall. We won't be back for months. Then, when we come back, we'll have good news about Sansa, you'll see."

Sandor hoped that he was right. If anything happened to his little bird, the Others could take him, and Joffrey too.

* * *

**5 months later.**

Sansa was **huge**. She couldn't even see her feet when she walked, and none of her old dresses fit her anymore. Each month she had to order new dresses to be made for her, as she got bigger and bigger in the stomach, hips and breasts, which were swollen. She looked at herself in the mirror, almost not recognizing herself.

"I look like a barrel" she told Shae. The maid laughed at the comment.

"You do not look like a barrel, m'lady. You just have a very big baby inside! He will be a strong child."

"Like his father" Sansa sighted.

"Have you decided any names yet?" Shae asked while she brushed Sansa's hair.

"Not really. The names I had in mind are definitely not going to please my husband" she highly doubted that she would be allowed to name her baby "Eddard" or "Sandor", and those were the only names she liked.

Shae growled. "That big brute. I will cut his face."

"You'll do no such thing!" Sansa exclaimed. If Gregor heard her say something like that, he would kill the woman without even blinking. "I don't want you to get hurt, you are my only friend..."

Shae smiled, and started braiding Sansa's beautiful hair in silence. She had just finished when the doors opened suddenly, and both of them turned their heads. Gregor was back from hunting.

"Get out" he barked at Shae. She shot a glance at Sansa, but she nodded, silently telling her that everything was alright, and the foreign maid left the room, closing the door behind her at Gregor's orders.

"You are back early, my lord" Sansa said, not looking at her husband, but at her reflection in the mirror. All the childlike features had disappeared from her face, sharpening; now she looked completely like a young woman. "We weren't expecting you for a few more days."

Gregor growled, he didn't seem to be in a good mood.

"There wasn't anything to hunt out there" Gregor stared long at his little wife, with a disapproving look on his face. "You are getting fat."

"It's the baby, my lord."

"I already know that it's the baby, bitch!" he barked, and she didn't reply anything. She wasn't scared, she was already used to his constant bad mood. "You'll be having that filthy bastard soon, and you'll come with me to Clegane Keep. And as soon as we arrive there, I'll get you pregnant with my child. I will not have a fucking bastard for an heir."

"My child is a Clegane" Sansa said, but Gregor laughed.

"Don't be stupid. It's a bastard born to a traitor whore, and a scared pup that runs away from battles. My fucking brother was a good for nothing, he wasn't even a knight. He was only a dog, a servant!"

"You are no true knight" Sansa said, unable to stop herself from saying those words. "You are only a despicable murderer, that's all. Your brother was a thousand times a better man than you, in all senses."

She immediately regretted having said those words. Gregor lifted her violently from the chair in which she was sitting and grabbed her hair, pulling hard from it to get her to the other side of the room. Sansa cried out of pain, and thought he was going to slap her like he did many other times, but the truth was much worse. Sansa closed her eyes, and suddenly felt the heat of the flames. She opened her eyes again, and screamed when she saw her head so close to the fireplace. One little push, and her face would burn.

 _This is exactly what he did to Sandor for playing with his wooden knight_ Sansa thought, horrified, and screamed. She wanted to close her eyes after she imagined the agonizing pain that she was going to feel, but she couldn't, they stayed wide open, looking at the fire. Gregor held her there, so close to the fire that the heat was burning her, but he didn't throw her face into there fire.

"REPEAT THAT AGAIN IF YOU DARE, YOU FUCKING WHORE!" he yelled next to her ear, and she started to cry. She felt her baby moving inside her womb, and her belly started to hurt.

"No, please..." she sobbed.

"NOT SO BRAVE NOW, ARE YOU?"

"Please!"

"My brother was stupid, like you are" he hissed, not yelling anymore. "And I shoved his face in the brazier and watched him burn. I'll watch you burn too, you and your little bastard, just like I burned his father!"

He pushed her away from the fireplace, away from the flames. Before Sansa could even think that she was safe, Gregor tore her dress, leaving her large belly bare. He grabbed a hot poker from the fireplace.

"I'm going to enjoy this" he hissed with bloodthirsty eyes.

"NO, DON'T!" Sansa screamed, and slapped him. The slap itself didn't hurt him, but her long fingernails scratched him, leaving three deep cuts in his face.

" _YOU LITTLE CUNT!"_ he pinned her with his free hand to the cold stone floor, and with the other hand he brought the hot poker closer to her belly...

"Stop this madness!" someone yelled from the door, and strong hand grabbed Ser Gregor and pulled him away from Sansa. He let go from the hot poker and it fell to the floor next to Sansa without doing her any harm. Shae raced to her side while Ser Loras and other knights held Gregor, and Lord Tyrion shouted orders from the door, with his sister Cersei and Lady Margaery next to him.

"Take him to the dungeons and wait until he calms down!" Tyrion ordered, clearly infuriated. "Let's see if we can finally put some sense inside his brainless head!"

They took a furious Gregor away from the of the room. One of them stayed behind to cover Sansa with his cloak. She wasn't able to breathe in peace until his shouts faded in the distance. Shae and Margaery helped her up.

"Are you alright, milady?" Margaery asked, clearly worried and horrified. "Did he do you any harm?"

"N-no..."

"It's good that we heard you screams, child" Cersei said, thought it was obvious in her expression that she wasn't worried about Sansa. "What did you do to provoke him?"

"I did nothing!" Sansa cried, though it was a lie. She had insulted her husband, after all.

"I think it's better we move you to your former chambers, away from him" Tyrion said. "At least for the time being. It is not good for you or your baby to be near such a beast!"

"That beast is her husband" Cersei said. Tyrion looked at her like if his biggest wish was to slap her in the face.

"Do you want her to lose the baby? Joffrey will have your head, sweet sister."

"That would be a pity" Cersei quickly said.

"Good. Shae, make sure that Lady Sansa's things are moved to her former chambers."

Sansa smiled faintly, and then she looked at Margaery.

"I'm sorry that you had to see such an unpleasant thing, milady" she excused herself, but Margaery smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry, it's all fine. I'm glad that you are unharmed."

Then she and Cersei left the room, and only Tyrion and Shae sated with Sansa.

"Things can not be kept this way" Tyrion said. "I'll see to it that this outrageous marriage is annulled."

"No" Sansa said, much to his surprise. "That will anger him, and Joffrey. Gregor would come after me, for revenge. It would be much worse... Please don't do nothing, it was my fault, I swear."

"We'll talk about this in the morrow" Tyrion said, and he left the room too. Sansa stayed silent, but Shae looked at her suspiciously.

"M'lady, what are you thinking?"

Shae knew her too well.

"Get me a bag with my jewelry, I'll need money. And a warm cloak, I'll need that too. And you must promise me you won't tell anybody."

"Why, m'lady?"

Sansa took a deep breath. She had made up her mind. She would do it not only for her, but for her unborn baby. She had to protect him.

"I'm going to do what Sandor wanted to do a long time ago. I'm going to run away."


	8. Keep The Streets Empty For Me

She new that was she was doing was madness, but after what had happened earlier that day, Sansa had no other choice. She had to escape before Gregor came back for her. Sansa knew that if that happened, no one would save her this time.

She covered herself with a warm grey cloak, and she had hidden beneath it a leather bag full with gold and jewelry that would allow her to travel comfortably away from King's Landing. She also had a bag with some food and a skin of water that she carried on the saddle of her new white horse (she needed a lot of help from Shae to mount the animal). She had gotten it as a wedding gift, and when the time had come to name him she remembered how Sandor's warhorse was named after the god Stranger, so she decided to name her horse Warrior. Warrior would get her away from the city in which she had suffered so much. It was still daytime outside, but it was better than if she tried to escape at night. The guards of the city din't pay any attention to the people that left the city at those hours of day, so she would be lost in the crowd and safe from foe's eyes. She was about to cross the gates when she heard the guards shouting:

"Halt!"

 _They saw me_ she thought, horrified.

But she was lucky, the gods were on her side. The guards were addressing to a man several feet away from her. Taking advantage of their distraction, she crossed the gates and got away from King's Landing. She wanted to laugh and maybe cry of happiness. She could not believe that she was out. Finally.

"We made it!" she whispered happily, talking to her little baby inside her womb. She was sure he could hear her. "We are out! I told you that I was going to keep you safe. I promised you that I wouldn't let them do you any harm..."

She allowed herself to laugh out loud then, when no one was near. She couldn't keep the smile out of her face. She knew that she wasn't safe yet. She was out of the city, yes, but she had to put distance between them, and most importantly, she couldn't get caught. They would kill her if that happened. Ser Gregor was going to be furious when he discovered that she had fled. She hoped that Shae would be alright, that woman knew how to defend herself.

"Going for a ride, milady?" another rider asked her from behind.

She gasped and stopped Warrior, turning her head around. Tyrion Lannister had followed her, mounted on his brown horse and his strange saddle adapted for a dwarf with short legs.

"My lord!" she exclaimed, feeling all color drained from her face.

_What do I do now?!_

"Don't be scared, girl" Tyrion said. His voice was calm, not menacing. "Keep moving, we don't want anyone finding us here."

Sansa did as told. She was silent, feeling nervous and not knowing what to do. She was grateful for the many times that the dwarf had saved her, but she could not scape with him there, and she was not going to go back to the city. the Imp rode by her side, silent as well. They rode for quite some time without saying anything, and they stayed like that until King's Landing was well behind them, only a spot in the horizon, and the sky was starting to darken.

"You shouldn't be riding this late in your pregnancy, Lady Sansa" he said in a very calm tone of voice. "You could fall."

"I'm not going quickly, my lord" she replied. It was true that she had to be very careful, and she felt heavy. Her huge stomach made it very hard for her to ride and control Warrior, but he was a very good and calm horse. "Thank you for saving me before."

"Don't thank me, I should have stopped that ridiculous marriage from happening months ago. You would have been spared a lot of damage."

"There's nothing you could have done."

"Maybe, but did I try to do anything? No" Tyrion seemed very displeased by that. "You need to take care of yourself and that creature inside your womb. There are many inns alongside the King's road. Do you have enough money?"

Sansa thought she hadn't heard well. "My lord?"

"You heard me, child. You you have enough money to get as close to the North or Riverrun as possible?"

 _Is this a trap?_ Maybe that's what it was, a trap to discover that her loyalty wasn't with the Lannisters. But when she looked at Tyrion in the eyes, she knew in her heart that he meant her no harm. He was saving her again.

"Yes, my lord" she nodded, but he took a small bag of coins out from his pocket.

"A little more shouldn't harm you" he said, giving it to her. She was stunned. "One last thing before you go, my lady, I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that you are out there alone and in danger."

Right after he said those words, someone came out from hiding in the darkness between the trees. He was a knight on a brown horse, but Sansa didn't recognize him. He seemed friendly.

"Lady Sansa, this is Ser Jordan. He will take care of you until you reach your destination."

"The North" Sansa quickly said. "Or the Riverrun, I don't care which one."

"Riverrun might be a safer choice, milady. Remember, the ironmen took Winterfell."

Yes, she remembered. She felt a sharp pain on her chest upon hearing that again, and remembering that her little brothers Bran and Rickon were dead, along with almost all the people she had known her whole life back at home. But she still had her mother and her brother Robb. She would be safe with them, and she could not wait to see them again. It had been s long... But they wouldn't want her. As soon as they saw her with her huge belly, or with a baby in her arms if her time came while on the road, they would hate her. They would tell her she had dishonored herself. But it didn't matter, she needed to go to a safe place for the sake of her child, she had to keep him safe.

"Riverrun it is, then" she smiled faintly. "Thank you, my lord. You have always been so kind to me."

Tyrion smiled back to her.

"Be safe, Lady Sansa."

And with that he turned around to leave. Sansa and Ser Jordan started their long journey in silence, going slowly on horseback so that Sansa wouldn't suffer any injuries, though she did try to go as fast as she could to put many miles of distance between them and King's Landing. They night was dark, and cold, but the warm cloak shielded her from it. However, many hours had passed when sleepiness started to take over her body. She feared that she would fall from her horse and hurt her unborn baby. Jordan noticed this.

"We should stop for the night. We are already far from King's Landing, and you need rest."

Had she not been pregnant, she would have protested and kept going. But she _was_ pregnant indeed, and she couldn't make decisions only for herself. She didn't care were they slept, but Ser Jordan insisted to go to an inn, where she would be more comfortable.

 _He is like the true knights from the songs_ Sansa thought. _Brave and gentle._

They used the gold Tyrion had given her to pay one night at the inn. They rented one room, and Sansa threw herself over the bed when they arrived. The room was no luxury; it was old and smelled funny, but it felt like a castle for her. She was grateful to the old gods and the new for having escaped and being far away from King's Landing. Ser Jorah occupied a chair near the door, so he could sleep in it and at the same time keep watch. He had his sword in his hand.

"Good night, good Ser" Sansa said, closing her eyes. But suddenly, she didn't feel so sleepy no more. "Why are you helping me?"

Ser Jordan seemed to hesitate a few seconds. "Gregor Clegane killed my brother. I loved my brother, and I suffered when he was murdered. I can only imagine the torment that it must have been for you to be married to such a monster."

Sansa shivered, remembering all the abuses that the had received from her husband, and she felt sickened. "It was... horrible" she admitted.

"It must be painful to be carrying his son."

Sansa frowned. "It's not his son."

"Huh" Ser Jordan seemed surprised. "So it's true? Is it true that you are carrying the Hound's pup?"

"Yes" the thought of Sandor pained her more than anything else. She hugged the pillow tightly, imagining that it was her beloved Sandor. Oh, how much she missed him...

In silence, she shed a tear.

"You loved him" Ser Jordan realized.

"Yes..." another tear fell down her cheek. Before it reached the pillow, however, Sansa gave in to the dark world of sleep. She dreamed about hounds and wolves and pups.

* * *

_"Bring me his head" Joffrey said._

_They put him down on his knees and he closed his eyes, ready to welcome death if it meant that **she** would be safe... _

_...But the cold bite of the blade never came. He opened his eyes; the little bird was on her knees too, crying. The king was behind her, laughing hysterically. Ser Ilyn Payne raised the sword in the air..._

_"No!" Sandor yelled. The face of Ser Ilyn transformed into another one, and his body grew... It was now Gregor Clegane who was holding the sword over the little bird. Gregor laughed at his brother's useless attempts to stop him. "No, stop! Don't hurt her, it's **me** you want! Kill **me**! KILL **ME**!"_

_But his brother didn't listen. The sword fell on the girl's neck, and the little bird screamed._

* * *

"SANSA!"

Sandor woke up covered in cold sweat. His breathing was heavy and uneasy. He felt his heart beating fast inside his chest, as if it was about to carve a hole in it and come right out. He could still hear the screaming inside his head, sounding like an echo, never-ending. He had been hearing it every night since that day, when they were discovered and she believed she had seen him killed. It was the last memory he had of his little bird, and he wanted to die from the pain that heart-breaking sound provoked him.

"Sandor?" his shout had woken up Sam. The fat boy had come to check on him, worried, just like he did every time. Everyday, Sam went to tell Sandor that everything was alright, that it was just a dream. Sandor felt very thankful always towards him. He knew that the other crows had awaken too, but Sam was the only one that cared for him. Upon looking at his face, Sam knew that the nightmare Sandor had had was pretty bad.- Are you alright?

Sandor nodded, although it had been the worst nightmare of them all by far. However, he couldn't fool the boy; Sam might be a coward, but he wasn't stupid.

"Was it about that day again?"

"Aye... But it was different this time..."

"How so?"

"They killed **her**... And my brother... my brother did it. He was laughing at me while he killed her" His hand turned into a fist so tight that his nails dug into his palms so hard that blood came out. Sandor started to quickly be filled by anger. "If he has touched her, I swear..."

"She's alright, I'm sure she is" Sam tried to make him feel better. "If anything bad had happened to her, we would know. A crow would have come, she's too important!"

Maybe he was right, and maybe he wasn't. Sandor hoped he was. Lately, bad news seemed to be piling up, he didn't need any more than the ones he already had.

"Has Jon come back yet?"

In silence, Sam shook his head with a sad look in is face. Jon Snow and many other rangers and members from the Night's Watch had left to the other side of the Wall more than a month ago. Very few had come back, carrying news about the return of the White Walkers. Jon hadn't been one of them. Sam cried often for his lost friend, and Sandor felt pity. He was the brother of the woman he loved, and he had come to appreciate him deeply during his months there in the Wall. Sandor wasn't much of a believer, but he few prayers he made were for the safety of both his little bird and that of Jon Snow. He really hoped the lad would make it back alive and in one piece.

"They're want to go and look for him and the others" Sam said. "They are going to wait a bit more, and if they don't come back, they'll send someone to look for them."

"If they wait, it will be too late" Sandor rasped.

"Many brothers have been months at the other side of the Wall" Sam assured him. "He will come back."

Sandor hoped so. It seemed that in his presence, every member of the Stark family was doomed.

* * *

They been traveling for a week. Their pace wasn't very fast, because Sansa was finding it very difficult to keep going on everyday. Her back and belly hurt, and even though she tried not to complain, Ser Jordan noticed.

"You are about to give birth any day" he said one evening.

"There are still a couple of weeks left" Sansa replied, but she feared that the baby would come early and she would be forced to give birth in the middle of nowhere with only Ser Jordan there to help her. They had agreed that when the baby came they would stay in an inn for a couple of days while Sansa rested, pretending to be husband and wife, and then they would keep going. They hoped they would be able to travel much faster then, though still carefully.

"What are you going to name him?" Ser Jordan wanted to know one day, staring at Sansa and her huge belly with a friendly smile.

She sighted. "I don't know yet. I guess that now that I'm away from King's Landing I can name him whatever I want, but I still haven't decided. I lost my father, and I wanted to honor him by naming my son Ned. But I also lost his father, Sandor..." again, she felt pain upon saying that name. "I think it will be best to wait until he is born and see how he looks. More Clegane, or Stark, or Tully."

"And if it's a girl?"

"I hadn't thought about it..." Sansa caressed her belly lovingly with one hand. "She will be my little Catelyn..."

"So Ned or Sandor, and Catelyn. They are good names, milady. And I can see that he will be a very loved babe."

"That he will" Sansa smiled. "My baby was conceived out of love, and all the love I've got left will be for him. Or her."

They stopped to rest for the night. Sansa was exhausted from the constant traveling. She wanted to go right off to sleep, but she had some matters to attend to first. She walked behind some trees, away from Ser Jordan and the horses. During the last months it was hard for her to distinguish the occasions in which she wanted to take a piss and when she didn't have to, it was uncomfortable and frustrating. After some minutes she decided that it was a false alarm, so she went back with Ser Jordan.

She knew something was wrong before she came out of the woods. It was too silent. And she was right.

It was too dark and it was hard to see, so she almost tripped on something. Her mouth opened in a silent scream of horror when she saw the body of Ser Jordan on the ground, with his throat slit open and spilling blood all over the place.

 _Gods_ she almost cried. She was terrified. _Who did this?!_

The answer came soon enough.

"Did you think I wouldn't find you, you little bitch?!"

Sansa turned around and started running away as fast as she could from her husband. Gregor Clegane had followed them, he had found them, and now he was going to kill her. She tried to get away, but she was not fast enough. Even if she hadn't been so pregnant and huge she wouldn't have stood a chance against the Mountain. He grabbed her arm and pulled her against him violently and painfully.

"You are not running away again, you whore! I'm going to drag you back to King's Landing screaming!"

"NO! LET ME GO!" Sansa kicked and screamed, struggling to be set free. Gregor was getting angry. He shook her violently.

"SHUT UP!"

A waterfall rushed down between Sansa's legs. She felt a sharp pain and fell down on her knees, holding her belly with her hands.

" _AH!"_ she cried with pain, not able to restrain herself.

Gregor tried to pull her up on her feet.

"Move!"

"No... Wait, _aahh_!"

Sansa's eyes filled with tears, and the Mountain let go of her, suddenly confused but still angry.

"What?" he hissed.

"My... my baby... He's coming..." Sansa moaned. The pain was too strong.

For some moments, the only sound that could be heard in the woods apart from her cries f pain was the wind and trees moving. Everything was so silent...

" _Fuck!"_ the Mountain cursed under his breath.


	9. A Little Piece Of Heaven

Another wave of pain shot through Sansa down to her core, and she held on to Gregor's arm, which was the only thing preventing her from falling to the ground.

"Fuck!" he kept cursing. "You have to be fucking kidding me, girl. Get up!"

"I can't!" she cried. She was terrified. She couldn't have her baby there, in the middle of nowhere, with only the Mountain to help her!

"Fuck" it seemed Gregor had forgot all the rest of his vocabulary. He seemed nervous, but Sansa knew perfectly that it wasn't about her or the baby. Gregor looked uncomfortable. "Stupid girl..."

He picked her up in his arms. He wasn't gentle, and his armor hurt Sansa, digging into her flesh, but she could only concentrate on the pain in her lower body.

"I'm not going to help you, girl, so you can forget about it and hold that thing inside you for a while" Gregor said angrily.

He started walking while carrying her in his arms, trying to find someplace or someone in the road that would help them. Gregor was getting increasingly annoyed by Sansa's cries, but she couldn't help it; her baby wanted to get out of her and into the world, but it wasn't time yet, it wasn't time... She was really afraid that they wouldn't find anyplace before she could not handle it anymore, Gregor had already said he would not help her, so she was literally on her own. She didn't want Gregor helping her anyways, only the gods knew what he would do to her babe once he was born.

Thankfully, the gods were merciful with her this time. Sansa didn't know how long Gregor had been walking, but he had finally found an inn at the side of the road and he walked in with his little wife in his arms. Sansa's cries were muffled by the loud laughs and singing of drunken men, but at soon as those men saw the Mountain walking in, everything went silent and all eyes fell on the giant and the pregnant girl in his arms..

"Lord Clegane!" one of the men there, probably a sellsword, exclaimed, as surprised as all the rest of them. Sansa couldn't stop herself and cried louder than before, almost screaming.

"My wife is about to give birth" Gregor barked at the innkeeper. "Help her. If anything goes wrong, I'll have your head."

Sansa didn't even have the head at right time to wonder why Gregor even cared how the childbirth turned out. The innkeeper took her from her husband's arms and carried her to a room upstairs. He called for his wife and daughters, who brought hot water, cloths and towels. The innkeeper's wife smiled gently at Sansa.

"You are going to be alright, girl" the woman told Sansa while drying the sweat from her forehead. "You are just going to have to do what I tell you."

They removed her smallclothes and parted her legs. Another contraction made Sansa scream again.

"Please..." she begged. "Take him out, please..."

"You are almost ready, m'lady, you are almost ready..."

Sansa's sight was blurry with tears. She recalled a time when Cersei had told her that birthing a child was terribly painful, but Sansa had not expected it to be so true. But her lady mother Catelyn had had five; Sansa had to be brave like her, she was a Stark of Winterfell. And she wanted nothing more than to have her child in her arms, Sandor's child... She wiped the tears from her eyes and breathed to calm herself down. The pain was still there, but Sansa was not focusing on it anymore. She had to try to ignore it, and focus on having her babe.

"Alright, m'lady, push!"

Sansa did it, and screamed. But she kept going, pushing and feeling her baby wanting to come out of her. Soon the pain was stronger than any other she had ever felt in her life, and although she didn't want to be weak, she was having a very hard time.

"I can't!"

"Yes you can, m'lady, keep pushing! You are doing it very well, but I need you to push!" the innkeeper's wife exclaimed.

For a brief moment Sansa thought she was going to die. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she would be able to see Sandor again... She imagined his face with the good side and the burnt side, his long thin black hair, his angry grey eyes that were full of love only for her...

But then that face was replaced by a new one. It was the sweet little face of a young boy with auburn hair and grey eyes, and then... Then Sansa knew that she couldn't let go.

She pushed one more time, harder than before, ignoring the tearing pain. Her baby, she just wanted her babe in her arms...

"That's right, m'lady!" the innkeeper's wife exclaimed while her daughters cooled Sansa's forehead with wet clothes. "I can see his head! Just one more push, one more!"

Sansa screamed again. She was sure the whole inn was hearing her screams. Gregor must be enjoying himself himself while drinking ale. Sansa wanted to tell them to thrown him out of the inn, but she knew that no one would do it. No one was brave enough.

She did as the innkeeper's wife told her and pushed one last time... and suddenly the pain was gone. Another cry filled the room, but it was a different cry than her cries of pain. It was the first cry of a new life. The innkeeper's wife and her daughters smiled, and the older woman took the baby in her arms. Her daughters helped her clean the babe and then they put a warm and smooth blanket around him before giving him to his mother.

"Congratulations m'lady! You have a son."

Sansa held out her arms to take her newborn son in them. She held her breath when the woman gave him to her, and she looked at the babe in awe. He wasn't crying anymore, and he was such a little thing, so fragile... He was different than how she had imagined him to be. He was mostly bald, but the few hairs that he did have on his tiny head were not auburn, but black instead. He had taken after Sandor for that. His little eyes were closed, and Sansa wondered what color they were. Would they be grey, also like his father's? She soon found out.

Suddenly the baby opened his eyes and stared at his mother (or at least Sansa though that he was staring at her). His eyes were of an amazingly deep and bright shade of blue, just like his mother's. They were Tully eyes.

Sansa couldn't really describe they flow of feeling that invaded her then, but the strongest one was love; the most overwhelming and strong love that she had ever felt. And it was all for this little person that she had just met seconds ago, who was part her and part Sandor...

She started to cry. Those weren't tears of sadness or fear or pain; they were tears of pure happiness. She kissed her little son's head, and smiled.

"Ned..." she whispered.

* * *

Far away from that inn, in the Wall, Sandor Clegane felt something change within him. It was a feeling that warmed him deep inside, right in his heart. He didn't know what it was, or why he felt like that, but he was sure that it had to do with his little bird. He was feeling happy, and that only happened when he was around her.

 _I'll come back for you, little bird._ He thought. That warmth in his heart was giving him the strength that he had lost long ago. _I promise we will be together again._

"Clegane!" one of his fellow rangers shouted from the distance. "Are you coming or not?!"

Sandor nodded and made Stranger walk towards were the rest of the rangers were waiting for him in the Wall. The gates to the tunnel that crossed to the other side raising, opening the way to the other side.

 _I'll come back_ he promised again one he had crossed the tunnel and his horse stepped on the other side, beyond the Wall.


	10. Fire, Hellfire, Dark Fire

 

They hadn't left the inn since little Eddard Clegane was born. Sansa had thought that Gregor would want to take her away from that place and back to the Red Keep or Clegane Keep, his home. She had been surprised when he had told her that they would stay there more time. Sansa was suspicious of the whole situation, and she had contemplated many times the idea of escaping at night... But he had found her once, and she was certain that he would find her again. Plus, this time she had to take care of little Ned. She couldn't just run off into the night with her newborn son in her arms and completelly alone, some robbers could attack them and kill them.

Each time that Sansa asked her husband how long they would stay at that inn, he replied the same thing.

"As long as it's neccessary. Now shut up."

So she was forced to stay there, with no idea as to why Gregor wanted to stay at that place. The innkeeper and his family were very kind with her, he gave her food and baked lemoncakes for her, and his wife gave her clothes for her baby, while the two daughters gave her some dresses for herself and they took care of Ned when Sansa was not able to do so.

"He's such a beautiful babe" the elder daughter, Alice, said one day, smiling at the baby while Sansa nursed him. "He looks a lot like you, m'lady."

Sansa smiled at that. It was true that Ned looked like her, with the exact same eyes. The few times that Ned wasn't asleep he was rolling his bright blue eyes to look all around the place, curious, wanting to see the world in which he was born.

"He looks a lot like his father too" she replied, and the girl frowned.

"Like that huge man? I don't think so, m'lady! He scares me, and he's violent and bad" as soon as she said that, Alice turned red and bowed her head. "Sorry m'lady, I shouldn't have said that about your husband."

"Don't be sorry, it's the truth" Sansa assured her. "And he's not my son's father."

Alice looked surprised. "He's not? But he's your husband... Who is the babe's father?"

"A man that protected me and loved me. A man that I loved. A man that is dead" rage could be sensed in Sansa's voice. It was unusual for her to feel that way. She was always sweet and gentle, but when it came to Joffrey, only dark thoughts and feeling raised within her.

Alice didn't make any more questions, she understood well enough.

Days went by peacefully. Sansa loved to be with her little son. She sat for hours on a chair and sang to him until he fell asleep, and felt the biggest joy in her heart everythime that Ned looked at her. She laughed when he saw the baby yawning.

"I love you so much, Ned" she whispered. "I will always love you."

She wanted to sing for him again. She was about to sing the song of Florian and Jonquil, and remembered when Sandor forced her to sing for him, the night of the battle of Blackwater. He had asked for that song, but she had sung another.

_"Gentle Mother, font of mercy_

_Save our sons from war, we pray_

_Stay the swords, and stay the arrows_

_Let them know a better day"_

Sansa touched Ned's little face tenderly, with hands full of love. his tiny hand searched for her finger and wrapped itself around it, making Sansa laugh softly.

"I sang that song to your father, you know?" she whispered softly to Ned. "I sang it for him when he was scared, and he came to me. That was the first time that he told me that he loved me, and I realized that I felt the same way about him" Sansa felt tears flooding her eyes, but she had to fight them back. "He would have loved you very much, Ned, I'm sure of it."

She kissed Ned's little head again. There were a few more black hairs on it than there had been when he was born, and Sansa brushed them with the tips of her fingers.

Suddenly she heard noises outside of the room, voices and footsteps that were coming close. She held Ned tightly against her chest and stared at the door of the room until it opened and Gregor Clegane walked inside. She stood up from the chair in which she was siting, and when she saw the cruel smile and the dark look in his eyes she knew something was not right. She backed to the wall and Gregor walked further into the room, followed by two men that came through the door behind him. Sansa immediately saw their white cloaks, they were members of the Kingsguard.

"No" she gasped, trying to hide Ned beneath her own cloak in an useless attempt to protect him. "Stay away from me."

The words barely came out of her mouth, she had almost lost the ability to speak due to her fear. More people came into the room, but she knew before they even stepped inside who they were.

Cersei Lannister had a grin of superiority on her face that made Sansa sick with rage. At her side, King Joffrey stared at the girl with disgust.

"It was stupid of you to think that you could run away from us" Joffrey said, running his eyes over Sansa. She wanted to get away from him and his mother and the guards, but her back was already against the wall. "You don't understand? You **can't** escape from me. You do **not** disobey me."

"Where is the little pup?" Cersei asked then, looking around the room as she if was hoping to find the baby hiding in a corner. Sansa panicked, and tried to cover Ned even more with her heavy cloak. That seemed to upset Ned, who started crying with all the strength of his lungs, his face turning bright red. Cersei saw him and raised her eyesbrows, as if she was surprised.

However, Joffrey's expression only turned worse. He had seen Sansa with a disgusted face, as if she was a piece of dung, but now he was amussed. If something amused Joffrey Baratheon, it was not good for sure.

"So that's the bastard..." he murmured. "Mother."

Cersei walked toward Sansa, and the girl backed to the corner of the room.

"Stay away from me!" she hissed.

"Don't be silly, little dove, I'm not going to hurt you" the Queen regent said, but Sansa knew better than to trust her. Being this close to Sansa, Cersei could now see Ned hidden beneath the cloak. She stared at him with blank eyes. Ned quit his loud cries and opened his eyes a tiny bit, enough for the Queen to see their bright blue color. "What did you name him?"

"Eddard" Sansa said, trying to decipher any signs of what they were intending to do.

A small, amused smile appeared on Cersei's lips.

"Of course" was all she said, never taking her green eyes off Ned.

"Mother" Joffrey said, louder than before. "Do as you were told!"

Cersei said nothing. She just stood there for a couple of seconds, staring at the baby, until she took a step forward and extended out her arms to take the baby from Sansa's arms. Sansa grabbed Ned only with one arm and pushed away Cersei's arms with her free hand.

"Don't touch him!" she hissed, like a she-wolf protecting her cubs. That was exactly what she was, a Winterfell wolf protecting her only, defenseless cub against the hungry lions. "Don't you dare to put a hand on my son..."

"Trust me, little dove, this is for your own good" Cersei said cynically. "Now, just give him to me."

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Clegane, control your wife" Cersei snapped. The Mountain walked over to where the two women were standing. Sansa couldn't get away from him, as the was backing the wall, and she obviously couldn't fight him off.

Gregor stood beside her and grabbed her arms, holding her still and unable to move. Sansa lost it. She kicked and screamed and bit any hands that got near her, but in the end Cersei wrapped her hands around Ned and took him away from his mother's arms.

"NO! NED! NEEED! Don't take him, please, I'll do anything! PLEASE!"

"You should have thought about it before allowing the Hound to fuck you" Joffrey hissed, clearly enjoying that. Sansa wanted nothing more than to snap his neck with her fragile hands, she felt more than capable of doing it, if the Mountain hadn't been holding her still. She watched with tear-flooded eyes as Cersei carried Ned away from her and then handed the baby away to Joffrey. Sansa could only sob as she watched; Joffrey held the newborn in his arms and looked at him as if he was studying and valuing the price of a wasn't any expression on his face that gave Sansa an idea of what to expect, and it was killing her.

"Joffrey, please..." she whispered, trying to make him listen. But he never listened to her. Not when she asked for mercy for her father, not when she asked for mercy for her and Sandor... and definitely not now, when she was asking mercy for her son.

Joffrey had a vicious look in his face. His eyes shone with malice, just as everytime he ordered the kingsguard to punish her or for a person to be executed. Sansa was afraid he might drop Ned to the floor, but he didn't. Joffrey just stared at Ned, and then at her. Sansa wasn't trying to fight against Gregor to let her go, she didn't have any more strength left.

"Please..." she sobbed once more.

"As I said, you should have thought about it before" Joffrey spat. "This pup is a bastard. My father had bastard children. Do you know what happened to them? I sent my guards to cut their throats. That's what bastards deserve."

Little Ned started moving in Joffrey's arms, raising his tiny hands in the air looking for his mother. Either because he was hungry or because he sensed the arms holding him were not Sansa's, he started crying, and Joffrey looked down at him in annoyance. His words still rang in Sansa's ears.

_I sent my guards to cut their throats. That's what bastards deserve._

Sansa would have beared a thousand beatings from the kingsguard. They could torment her, hit her, rape her if that's what they wanted! She would even let them take her life, if that meant that Ned would be unharmed.

"Take whatever you want from me" she said, trying to give strength to her shaking voice. "But please, don't harm my son..."

For a moment, it seemed as if Joffrey was considering it. The king stood there, silent, with his gaze lost in little Ned's blue eyes. Only the baby's cries could be heard, not even the Queen dared to interrupt her son's thoughts. For a brief second, Sansa had hope... But that moment was shattered as soon as Joffrey spoke again. Sansa had never seen a crueler smile on anybody's face.

"I already have what I want from you."

Without even giving her time to process in her mind what he had just said, Joffrey turned to one of the knights from the kingsguard and handed him the crying baby.

"Take him away. And make sure that the little shit shuts up, he's giving me a headache."

Sansa watched as the knight took Ned away from the room. The only sound she could hear were her son's cries, which were breaking her heart. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Without even been concious of what she was doing, Sansa bit down on Gregor's hand as hard as she could, until she could taste blood on her mouth. Gregor howled in pain and let her go; an opportunity that Sansa inmediatly used to run away from him towards the door.

"NED!" she screamed.

She never reached the door. The moment she was about to, Joffrey's hand closed itself around her arms, holdig her back. Sansa's body seemed to react on her own, for she turned around and slapped the king in the face with a strength she didn't know she possesed. It was the second time that Sansa Stark dared to hit Joffrey Baratheon, and this time the blow was so hard that the king fell to the floor on his back. Sansa jumped over him, pinning him down to the floor, and she started hitting him with her fists and scratching him with her nails, screaming hysterically.

"GIVE ME MY SON BACK!" she screamed. She didn't even know what she was doing, and she did not care about the consequences. All she wanted was her son back. " _I told you once that my brother would give me your head as a present, but no... I WILL GIVE IT TO HIM MYSELF!"_

Joffrey was yelling under her, asking for help as blood came out from the scratched in his face and neck and hands, and Cersei was shouting at the guards to take Sansa away from her son, but they were all too surprised by what was happening in front of them. Lady Sansa Stark, the perfect, educated lady that always looked so sweet and vulnerable was beating their king bloody right in front of them. She wasn't the delicate princess in distress anymore... She had turned into a wolf with a fiery rage inside her that had just exploded.

Gregor Clegane was the first to react. Just as a storm of slaps were falling agaisnt Joffrey's face, Gregor grabbed Sansa's waist and took her away from the king. Again, she kicked and screams and tried to bite him, but he held her tightly to the point that she thought her ribs would crack. Cersei helped Joffrey on his feet; the king was furious.

"TAKE HER AWAY! And make sure to teach her a lesson, Clegane! I want every bone in her body broken, every inch of her bleeding! I want to hear her screams all the way from King's Landing!"

Gregor took Sansa away from the room. She was still screaming, but over all that noise she was able to hear Joffrey's last words:

"You'll never see your son again, Sansa! I promise you that!"

Gregor carried Sansa downstairs with her over his shoulders. They arrived at the inn's dining room, where lots of guest and the innkeeper and his family were staring at them frozen in their places, not lifting a single finger to help her. Sansa took Alice's hand in hers when she passed by her side.

"Alice, please, help me!" she cried.

But Alice took her hand away in fear.

"I'm sorry m'lady" Sansa heard her whisper, shame and pity present in her voice.

Gregor walked out of the inn and tied Sansa to the saddle of her horse Warrior, making it impossible for her to move of escape. Gregor tied the reigns of Warrior to the saddle of his own destrier and mounted him, and then started to ride away from that place. In the distance, she could see a knight riding away on a white horse, and the cries of a baby in the distance.

"NED!"

That was the last thing she shouted before she passed out and everything turned black.

* * *

Sansa had woken up at night after she was taken away from the inn, and Ned was taken away from her. Gregor had tied her to a tree to make sure she wouldn't run away while he slept. She didn't cry anymore, or kick or scream. She didn't feel anything, other than a pain that felt like a dagger ripping her heart out of her chest. She had watched Gregor silently with numb eyes while he lit a fire to keep them warm at night.

"Now what?" she had suddenly asked, her voice just a whisper. "Are you going to beat me now? Rape me? Kill me?"

He hadn't answered right away, he had just stared at her with a smirk on his face and the flames reflected on his eyes, making them look yellow and demon-like.

"You heard what the king wants me to do with you" he had then said. "And I'll have my fun with you, but not just yet."

Sansa understood. He wanted to take her to his home first, to Clegane Keep. That was at the other side of the realm, miles and miles away from there. Miles away from Ned.

"My son... Where are they taking him?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Or you don't want to tell me?" Sansa accused him spitefully.

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"He is your nephew!" she exclaimed, hoping to cause some kind of reaction on the Mountain, though she knew already it was useless. "The son of your brother, your only family!"

That made Gregor laugh hard, as if his wife had just told him the best joke he had ever heard. The sound of that laugh made her shiver.

"Do you remember my brother's face, girl? Did he ever tell you what happened to him? I did it to him. I don't give a fuck about my brother or his little bastard. He is probably dead by now anyways."

Sansa didn't speak to him at all during the entire time that they spent travelling all the way back to King's Landing to reach the Golden Path that lead to the Westerlands. She knew perfectly fine what her destiny was to be: Gregor would beat her bloody for his own amusement and on the king's orders. He would rape her and put a new baby on her belly, his own heir, a trueborn Clegane. But she didn't want that baby, or any other babies. She wanted her baby, Ned, her's and Sandor's. That perfect little baby with black hair and blue eyes that Cersei had taken away from her helpless arms...

It took them weeks to arrive at Clegane's Keep. It was located not far away from Lannisport, and as soon as Sansa saw it she hated it. It was a tower house standing alone in the middle of yellow fields. It's aura was dark and made Sansa shiver. She knew that bad things happened inside that keep, she had heard the stories, and Sandor himself had told him a few of them. Servants disappeared, the dogs were afraid of their master, estrange death happened all around. Everyone knew it was Gregor, but no one dared say it, afraid that they would be the next ones to go down.

Gregor untied Sansa once they reached the stables and allowed her to get off Warrior. She was sore from all the traveling tied up to the horse's back, and she also felt drained of all energy. She had cried herself to sleep every night, once Gregor couldn't hear her anymore. She cried for her lost child, and swore everyday that she would have her revenge against Joffrey and against all the Lannisters. But in order of that, she first had to survive Gregor and her stay at Clegane Keep.

She walked into the keep alone. Gregor had sent a raven announcing his return with his wife, and the maids were waiting for her. They were terrified, but they seemed to calm down when they saw Sansa, with her delicate and sweet features, so different from her husband's. They bowed in front of Sansa when she reached them.

"M'lady" one of them said. Both of the maids were young, but they had streaks of grey in their hair and their faces were gaunt. Living in that place wasn't doing them any good. "We are happy that you are here."

"Show me to my chambers" was all Sansa said. She didn't have time for cordialities anymore. Both maids seemed to understand her mood and didn't seem to mind the harsh tone of her voice, they just did what they were told.

They led her to one of the towers, where her chambers were located. It was a cold room, with only one small window in the stone wall, a big bed that had been prepared for her, a fireplace and a piece of furniture with a mirror. It was clear that the mirror had just been added to the room, as it was the only thing in it that wasn't old. The maids must have thought that she would like it, maybe.

"Are these my husband's chambers?"

"No, m'lady. Lord Sandor used to sleep here when he lived here."

Sansa felt a cold chill running through her body. That had been Sandor's room. It felt like the ghost of his past was present in it. Sansa looked at the fireplace. Would it have been there where Gregor has brutally shoved his little brother's face into the flames and kept him there while his face melted? She could almost hear a little boy scream in the back of her head.

"Make a fire" she ordered. "And prepare me a bath, I'm tired."

"Of course, m'lady, right away."

They brought the tub in, and one of the maids lit a fire on the fireplace while the other one filled the tub with hot water. Sansa stripped herself of her clothes and stepped into the tub, but not before the maids saw the red marks that the tight ropes had left on her, and some bruises. Her body still showed the signs of having given birth shortly ago, but if the maids noticed that, they sure didn't mention it. They just stood there in silence while Sansa sinked into the hot water, and then they helped her wash. They brushed her body, washed her hair, and then helped her dry and perfumed her and covered her in a pretty silk nightgown that had once belonged to the lady of that keep.

Sansa didn't want to eat anything, she had lost her appetite lately. She told the maids to go away and laid down on the bed, trying to sleep as she waited for what she knew was to come.

She managed to sleep for a while, though she didn't know how long it was. She was awakened by the rough touch of huge strong hands on her body, under the silk nightgown. For a brief heavenly moment she thought she was dreaming, or back at King's Landing, and that those hands her Sandor's hands. But she realized the horrible truth immediately after. She knew Sandor's hands perfectly, and that wasn't his touch.

Gregor took her that night, finally consummating their marriage. Sansa just laid there and allowed him to do whatever he wanted with her. Gregor was violent and vicious, and seemed to wish to provoke Sansa as much pain as possible.

 _I will not scream_ she decided firmly. _I will not give him that pleasure. Let him do whatever he wants to do. I. Will. Not. Scream._

And scream she did not. She bit her lips and her tongue and tasted blood on her mouth, and she dug her nails in her palms, but she managed not to let a single sound out of her mouth, nothing that allowed him to know that she was suffering. Gregor was furious, but he could not break her. Finally, he left her alone after he was done with her.

He tried again the next day, and the day after that, but again he did not even manage to make Sansa whimper even after he left her bleeding. So he tried to break her in more ways. He was still unsuccessful. Sometimes Sansa even dared to laugh at his frustration. Gregor did not understand one thing: all that mattered to Sansa had already been taken away from her. There wasn't any more pain for her in the world. The maids and servants seemed to approve of her behavior but at the same time they were afraid of it, fearing that Ser Gregor might turn against them because of his frustration. Still, the maids were friendly with Sansa. Even at the risk of being discovered, they gave her moontea every day when she asked for it. She had long ago decided that she would never give Gregor Clegane an heir.

She also decided to make his life miserable in any ways that she could. She had learned during the long months of their marriage that her husband suffered from terrible headaches and required great amounts of milk of the poppy to calm them. She found her way to the maester's chambers. There he had stored all the flasks of milk of the poppy. Sansa took them all and emptied them throwing the liquid out of the window. Gregor might have not been able to hear her scream, but for the next couple of days she was the one to hear him scream in agony through the whole keep. It sounded like music to her ears. She had never been cruel, but there was no denying that those screams of agony made her feel good. Very good.

_Sandor would not recognize me if he was alive and here with me. I was weak back then._

But she wasn't anymore. And she wasn't going to let anybody hurt her again. She proved it the day when Gregor pinned her to the stone wall, determined to kill her.

His huge hands closed around her throat, preventing her from breathing. His face was red with fury.

"You little whore! You thought I wouldn't find out?! Thought I wouldn't know that you are the one that's throwing away the fucking milk of the poppy?! You fucking whore, I'm going to teach you what pain feels like."

He raised a hand in the air to strike her. But Sansa had decided the night that she ran away from King's Landing that that was the last time that Gregor Clegane dared to put a hand on her. From the corner of her eye, she could see that there was a lighted torch on the wall. She extended her arm to grab it and set it free, and hit Gregor with it.

The fire from the torch burned him, and made him let go of Sansa.

"Aaaahhh!" he yelled in pain. "BITCH!"

Sansa hit him again, and again, and again. She felt so full of rage that she shouted like she had never before.

"Don't. You. Ever. Touch. Me. AGAIN!" with each word, she hit him again with the torch.

Gregor was howling with pain. The torch had set his clothes on fire, and his entire upper body was burning. Sansa stopped hitting him with the torch and threw it to the floor, looking at what she had done in shock, unable to move or speak or react in any way.

Now all of Gregor's clothes were on fire, and his flesh and hair started burning as well. There wasn't a single inch of him that wasn't aflame. It was a terrible spectactime but Sansa found herself unable to take her eyes off him as the man that had done so many evil things to so many people died slowly in front of her. It was sweet justice. Gregor was burning, just like Sandor's face burned. Gregor was screaming, just like his little brother and so many more people had screamed.

A tapestry caught fire on the wall, when Gregor passed next to it. He was looking for water, or anything to put the fire away! He rolled on the floor, but it was of no use. Instead, things got worse, as the carpet under him also caught fire. With barely any life or strenght left on him, Gregor stood up and ran towards Sansa, trying to catch her with his hand covered in flames. She finally reacted and ran away, with him behind her. As Gregor ran screaming through the hallway, more tapestries and carpets were set on fire, and soon, practically the whole hallway was burning, like the Blackwater the day of the battle.

Sansa thought for a second that Gregor would catch her, that she would burn and die too. But his hand never caught her. Gregor feel face first on the floor, his screams finally silenced. All that was left of him was a giant burning corpse.

Sansa didn't have enough time to enjoy the fact that Gregor Clegane was dead. She was surrounded by flames everywhere, the heat was almost unbearable, and the smoke was making it nearly impossible to breathe. She coughed and searched for a way out. Luckily, the way to the staircase was still clear, and she ran down the hall to reach it. She could hear the shouts and loud voices of the maids and the servants that were calling for help in the distance, but she could not stop to aid them. She managed to run out of the keep and went into the stables. There was no one there, but she found her horse Warrior.

"Easy boy!" she exclaimed, trying to calm down the unsteady horse that could sense the flames. The saddled him, mounted him, and ran out of the stables as fast as she could.

She left behind the stables, the keep, the flames, and the nightmare that had been her life. She ran away and never looked back. This time she wasn't heading for Riverrun, or Winterfell either. She had only one choice left where she could be safe, the only place where she had any family left.

She was running away to the Wall, with her brother Jon, and nobody would find her this time.

* * *

Sandor had been facing the cold winds from beyond the Wall for nearly a month alongside the rest of his crow brothers, but they hadn't found anything. Nor windings, nor any bloody sign of Jon Snow. Sandor felt sorry for the poor lad, he had liked him. Now he was probably dead and buried under feet of snow. Or maybe he had turned into food for savages. Sam never ceased crying for his lost friend. It annoyed Sandor, but he had decided not to do any nasty comments. The boy had been good to him when he had needed a little support.

The one that was annoying him lately was the Old Bear's talking crow. By now, Sandor was used to the fucking animal constantly repeating words. He was just not too fond of his choice of words.

 **"Fire! Fire! Fire!"** the crow said every time that Sandor walked past next to it.

"Will you shut up?" Sandor rasped one day, tired of it, anduncomfortable by the words of the crow. He hated fire. But the core wouldn't stop yelling words. Instead, he started saying a new word that made Sandor freeze.

**"Bird! Bird! Bird!"**

"SHUT UP!"

"Clegane!" the Lord Commander called for him. He sounded worried, and he carried a message from a raven in his hands. "A message from King's Landing. I think you ought to hear it. It's about your brother."

Sandor scoffed.

"I'm not interested in anything that concerns that bastard."

**"Fire! Bird! Fire! Bird!"**

"He is dead" the Lord Commander then said.

Sandor didn't know what he felt just then. He had been hoping to kill his brother his whole life, and he didn't know whether if he felt joy that Gregor was finally gone, or anger because somebody else did that for him. Over all, he was confused.

"Dead? What the fuck happened to him?"

"Clegane Keep burned to the ground, with your brother and his wife inside. I'm so sorry, Clegane..."

Sandor wanted to laugh. Burned! The fire had killed his brother! Sandor suddenly started believing in the gods, and in divine justice. Maybe it was the old gods from the North that had listened to his silent prayers and decided to grant him his wish in the most sweet way.

But he didn't laugh when he realized something that the Old Bear had said.

"Wife?" he repeated. "My brother had no wife."

 _Uuuuuuuuuuuooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh_ A horn sounded in the distance, announcing the arrival of other rangers.

"Maybe it's Jon!" Sandor heard Sam exclaiming happily, but he wasn't listening. Sandor was still thinking about the words Lord Mormont had spoken, and he didn't like them. He felt that the Lord Commander hadn't told him everything that was in the letter.

"What wife?" he asked again, his voice dangerously murderous.

**"Bird! Bird! Fire!"**

"They married her off to him after they sent you here" Mormont said.

"Who are you talking about?" Sandor's voice did not just sound angry then, but also desperate. He knew what Mormont was going to say, but it wasn't true. It couldn't be true...

"Sansa Stark."

 _Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_ A second horn. It was the windings that were coming, not other rangers. Everybody started preparing their weapons, but Sandor was unable to move, or to think, or to speak. He saw red, and he felt his blood boiling.

"No" he rasped. "It's not true, you are lying!"

"Clegane..."

"YOU ARE LYING!"

They couldn't have done that to her. They couldn't have married for off to his brother, that was too cruel... Unfortunately, he could see in the old man's eyes that he was telling the truth. Sandor tried to breathe and think clearly. If that was true, his brother was dead, he could no longer harm his little bird...

"But she's safe. She escaped. Right? RIGHT?!"

The old man didn't respond for several seconds. But that was enough answer to Sandor.

"No..."

He felt something breaking inside him right at that moment. He was in agony. He felt that he was dying. The fucking crow had been telling him the truth the whole time. "Fire", "bird"... Somehow, the fucking crow had known his little bird had been a victim of the flames.

"Little bird..."

_Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_

The White Walkers were right behind him when he finally reacted. He took his great sword out of his scabbard and started slaying dead people. Dead, like his little bird. The only good thing that he had had in his life, and they had taken her away from him. As he cut down walking corpses with dead blue eyes, he thought of her. He wanted to be with her, join her. Maybe, if he let himself die...

But some strange force inside of him compelled him to keep fighting for his life against his will, and when the time came, he took a torch and set fire to the White Walkers, and he watched them burn. Burn, like his brother had burned. Burn, like his little bird had burned.

He had nothing left anymore.


	11. My Shadow Is The Only One That Walks Beside Me

Sandor had snow covering him practically up to his waist, and he was finding it almost impossible to advance forward. He had been separated from the rest of his companions, the snowstorm and the wind had carried them in different directions. Sandor had tried to find Sam, following his shouts of help, but he had the feeling that he had been walking in circles for several minutes. Now he was lost and alone in the middle of god-knows-where in the lands beyond the Wall. Sandor had spent seven months in that fucking place, almost as many as he had spent at the Wall; he knew partially well that place after so much time, but everything looked the same covered by the fucking snow.

"Seven bloody hells!" he managed to yell, cursing the snowstorm, cursing Lord Mormont for making them stay in that place, and cursing Jon Snow for being lost. If they weren't looking for Jon, Sandor would have already deserted the Night's Watch and gone looking for a safe place to live in. He didn't have any reasons for which to live or fight for, because his little bird was dead. His little bird was dead, and so was his heart and all that was good of him. But he had stayed and he kept fighting to find Jon. He was the little bird's brother, she would have wanted him to be safe. Sandor would find and keep him safe, for Sansa.

However, it would be a miracle if he managed to find Jon after such a long time lost in such a place.

"If you are dead, you bloody little bastard, I'll bring you back from the dead and choke you with your own guts!" he shouted to no one in particular, for he was alone in that place. Or at least, that's what he believed.

He blinked several times when he thought he saw something. There, in the distance... Something like fire...

There it was again! Something as red as the flames that he feared so much. Sandor narrowed his eyes, trying to see better. It couldn't be fire, it didn't have it's bright light... Then he saw what it was.

Hair. Long red hair. Images of his little bird immediately flooded his mind.

"Sansa!"

Maybe he was dead, at the other side, and he didn't know it yet? Maybe the cold had finally finished him off, and he was reuniting with his little bird... That fucking frozen hell wouldn't be to bad with her at his side, her simple presence warmed him.

"Sansa!" he shouted again into the night. The wind carried away his words, and the person with the red hair ran away. Sandor panicked. "No, wait! Wait!"

Using his remaining strenght, Sandor opened himself a path in the snow, getting closer to the place where the person with the red hair had been. With every step that he took, Sandor freezes even more. He couldn't feel his legs, feet or toes. He was pretty sure that his balls had turned into ice rocks.

The person with the red hair was having a hard time walking through the snow too, and Sandor was much bigger and stronger, his steps were longer. Soon he caught up with the girl, and turned her by grabbing  
her shoulders.

"Sansa" he rasped, but his words then died in his mouth when he saw that it wasn't Sansa. This girl was older, and less pretty. A wildling.

Sandor felt a strong rage building up inside of him; he felt furios at himself for believing even for one second that the gods would be merciful enought to kill him and reunite him with his love.- Who the fuck are you?

"Who the fuck are _you_ , crow?" she spat back. She didn't look scared at all.

"I'm not a crow" Sandor hissed. "I'm a _dog_."

He was about to pull out his dagger to slit open the girl's throat when a known voice stopped him.

"Sandor, don't!"

" _Jon?!"_

The Stark bastard appeared running behind the wildling girl, dressed in skins rather than with the black cloak of the Watch, and he seemed worried. Sandor couldn't help to get even angrier upon seeing him there, safe and sound, protecting a wilding whore.

"You fucking bastard" he barked at the boy. "We've been freezing our arses here for months looking for you, some of the men for for almost a year, and you were here playing to be the happy wildling fucker!"

"Sandor..."

"I should fucking kill you right now" Sandor was really angry.

"Do that, and you'll regret it" the wildling reahead girl hissed.

Sandor laughed.

"This one bites, doesn't she? Who are you, the little bastard wolf's bitch?"

He hadn't noticed before that the girl had a spear. It was made only with a long stick and a sharpened stone, but still, it was able to cut through flesh. The girl tried to hit Sandor with the spear, but he managed to grab it with one hand and take it away from the girl.

"Ygritte, stop it, he's a friend" Jon said. He had to shout in order to be heard over the wind, which was getting stronger. "We have to go! Come with us!"

He turned around and started walking, taking Ygritte by the hand. Sandor followe them. They reached a cave; the entrance was partially blocked by the snow, but they were able to get past it. Inside, the cave was empty and warmer. Sandor fell of the floor, tired, shivering and breathless. He felt as if ice daggers were piercing his lungs.

"Fuck, I could use some wine right now" he managed to rasp.

"There's no wine" Jon say, sitting down on the rock floor. The wildling, Ygritte, sat down beside him and Jon put an arm around her. "What are you doing here? You said they have been looking for me?"

"Aye, we all have for months " Sandor was still in a bad mood, but he was trying to control it. "Now, are you going to tell me what the fuck have you been doing all this time?"

Jon, sighted, and he shot a worried glance at Ygritte. Sandor understood what that meant. He would have to ask again later.

"I didn't want to be with the Watch anymore" Jon lied. It was a somewhat convincing lie, but Sandor knew better. "I found a new home here."

"Huh" Sandor muttered, and he looked down, not saying anything else. He could feel Ygritte's eyes fixed on him.

"You were calling a name when you were running after me" she then said, making him look up again. "Sansa. Who is she, some woman crow?"

Jon's expression got darker.

"My sister" he said, and Ygritte looked surprised. Maybe she didn't know much about the life of the young man that was at her side. "Have you had any news of her."

A dark feeling took over Sandor. He remembered Lord Mormont's words when he received the letter.

_"Clegane Keep burned to the ground. Your brother and his wife were burned alive."_

Jon must have noticed Sandor's sudden expression full of pain, because when he spoke again his voice sounded different. Scared.

"Sandor?"

"Your pretty sister is dead" Sandor said. "They married her to my brother. His keep burned, nobody knows why. And they both burned inside."

A long, uncomfortable silence followed. Sandor stared back at the rock floor, while the only sound that could be heard was the fierce wind outside of the cave. When Jon finally spoke, it was with a voice full of hurt and disbelief, broken.

" _What?"_

"Your brother is dead too" Sandor said without even thinking. "Robb. The Lannisters killed him."

"You are lying!"

"Am I?"

" _You son of a bitch_!" Jon wanted to throw himself at Sandor and beat him for bringing him those horrible news, but this time it was Ygritte who stopped him. She pinned him to the floor while Jon struggled and cried, she tried to calm him and then she hugged him awkwardly, like if it was something that she was not used to doing, but Jon held her tighly and cried. He cried like a newborn baby for a long time, muttering thing about Sansa and Robb, and his father too, and about traitors and lions and revenge and blood. And he kept crying.

Sandor hadn't cried when he had heard the news about his little bird. He had refused to believe those news. The White Walkers had come right after, and he didn't have time to think, only to kill. After that he had waited for days for another raven to arrive from the South, saying that there had been a mistake, that Clegane Keep hadn't burned. Or that it had indeed, but that only Gregor was dead. Maybe it was all a cruel joke that Joffrey had planned to amuse himself, thinking that it would be funny to torment his former servant and dog. Yes, he would find it very amusing indeed. Sandor didn't want anything more than to ride to King's Landing and cut the little golden bastard in two.

Jon fell asleep in Ygritte's arms. Sandor didn't want to sleep. He knew he would have nightmares again, of a beautiful bird with blue eyes traped in a cage on top of a mountain, unable to escape from that cage as the flames engulfed the mountain and eventually, also the cage and the pretty bird. Ygritte looked at him for a very long time, studying and evaluating him. She didn't seem to mind at all the burns on his face, but she found th interesting instead.

"You knew his siblings" it wasn't a question.

"His sister" Sandor rasped. "I only saw his brother a couple of times. Bloody idiot always seemed to have a stubborn head. No wonder he got himself killed..."

"But you knew his sister very well. You sounded desperate when you called me by her name."

"I should have known it wasn't you. Your hair is red; her's was auburn."

"You liked her" again, it wasn't a question. Ygritte seemed very smart, and she was learning quickly how to read Sandor as if he was an open book.

"I _loved_ her" Sandor corrected her. "I still do, even if I lost her forever."

"Tell me about her, I want to know."

"Why don't you fucking shut up and go to sleep girl? Leave me alone" he barked, annoyed. He didn't want to talk about the little bird, it hurt too much. Ygritte didn't seem to care at all.

"I don't want to shut up, or go to sleep. Jon and I could leave you alone here and you will die, freeze to death."

"Fine. You would do me a bloody favor."

"Coward."

That word hit Sandor like and axe on the head.

"I am _not_ a coward."

"Then prove it! Tell me about her. About Sansa."

Sandor cursed under his breath. He knew that the girl wouldn't leave him alone until he had said something.

"I met her when I scorted the King to Winterfell, her home. She was the prettiest girl in the whole realm, and soon enough she became the most beautiful woman in the entire fucking world. I thought she was stupid, believing in tales of knights and fair maidens. The world is built by killers, I tried to teach her that. I wanted her to be strong, but I never realized how fucking strong she really was. And she was pure. She was perfect, a much better person than all those fuckers there in court. _I didn't deserve her!"_ Sandor exclaimed, unaware that he was raising his voice, almost shouting, but Ygritte kept still, listening to his words. "And the King didn't fucking deserve her. I wanted to kill them, kill them all for what they were doing to her, but I was no better! I didn't stop them from hurting her, from beating her bloody, but she chose me anyways. She was to be the Queen, but she said she loved me. And I fucked her. I fucked her and I put her in danger. _I should have known that we would get caught!_ And we did, and now I'm _here_ , and she's _dead_."

He was shaking. That anger he felt inside of him right then... it was even stronger that the anger he had felt all those years towards Gregor for burning his face and turning him into what he was, destroying his dreams.

"They gave her to the man that destroyed my life" he kept saying, this time in a lower voice, almost whispering. "The man that killed my father, killed my sister... The man that did this to me" he said, pointing at his burned face. "They gave her to my brother. If I had known first, I would have told the Night's Watch to go fuck themselves with a hot poker, and I would have gone back to save her! I wouldn't have left her to die with that monster..."

Wine. He needed wine. He hadn't had any in months, but he needed it right now. He felt as if an invisible hand had closed around his throat, choking him. It was his own fucking fury, he was drowning in it. A storm of memories of Sansa attacked Sandor's mind, memories of all kinds, good and bad. Memories that hurt him. He laughed like a madman.

"She was a sweet, pure, innocent, delicate little bird, singing beautiful songs. She sang a song for me, you know? I wasn't good with her that day, no. There was fire everywhere, that fucking dwarf had set the Blackwater on fire" he didn't care if Ygritte wasn't understanding half of what he said, he needed to get it out of himself. "I threatened her with a knife to get the bloody song, but she didn't care afterwards... She admitted she loved me. It all seems like a fucking joke. I'm a killer, a dog, I never did anything to deserve someone like her... I should have taken care of her, but I destroyed her life instead."

Ygritte never took her eyes off him, but she also didn't say anything. She knew men like Sandor, they didn't appreciate the courtesies, and what else could she say at that moment apart from " _I'm sorry"_? What he needed was to rest and be alone, and think for a while, maybe. He needed to kill the demons inside of him, and he had many.

He didn't notice it when sleep took over him. For once, he didn't have any nightmares, and he was glad that he could just forget everything for a little while. However, it all came back to him when he woke up: all the pain, the loss, the hate, the sorrow.

Jon was awake too, he was the one that had woken Sandor up. The young man's eyes were still a bit red, but dry already. He had mourned for his siblings, but now it was time to go. Without a single word, Sandor stood up on his feet and followed Jon and Ygritte outside the cave. The wildling girl had already taken care of removing the snow from the cave's entrance, so it was easy to get out of it. It wasn't a nice day: the skies were grey and full of black clouds, the sun wasn't shining, and all they could see from miles around was snow. Nothing else.

"We have a long way back" Jon snorted, and then he looked at Sandor, whose eyes were set on the white horizon. "Are you coming with us? Or are you going to go back to the Wall?"

Sandor thought about it. They were close to the Wall, it wouldn't take long to reach it, and then he could cross to the other side and get away from that frozen hell. But there was nothing waiting for him in the Wall; the only reason he had stayed there in the first place was because he wanted to keep the little bird safe, and now she wa gone. What good would it be for him to go back there, really? The best thing that he could do was desert the Night's Watch and go live with Jon, Ygritte, and the other wildlings, with no lords and no laws.

He was about to give his answer when another bloody snowstorm started. It wasn't strong yet, but the temperature dropped suddenly and Ygrotte gasped, looking back. She looked scared.

"White Walkers" she whispered. "They are coming."

Neither Sandor nor Jon asked her how she knew that; they had been running away from those creature for months, and neither one of them wanted to stay to make sure if Ygritte's words were true or not. They started running, heading to the safest place nearby: the Wall.

Sandor cursed under his breath. He was tired of all that shit, the cold, the snow, the Others... He didn't care about dying, but he certainly didn't want to die just to become a walking corpse. If he died, and there was an " _other side_ " he wanted to be reunited with his little bird, not get stuck in that freezing he'll for eternity.

They could see the Wall ahead of them; it was still afar. And when Sandor turned his hea to look back, he saw them. The White Walkers, hundreds of them, walking towards them. They were still very far away from them, but they would catch up sooner or later. Sandor preferred later.

"Run, you sorry sons of whores, run!" he yelled at Jon and Ygritte. He started seeing other figures also running to the Wall, other members of the Night's Watch. The three horns were sounding in the distance, anouncing the arrival of the dead enemies. Sandor didn't know how Jon and Ygritte were going to be able to cross the Wall with their wildling clothes, he hoped that with all the chaos they would be able to mix with the other crowd and go unnoticed.

He saw one of his brothers from the watch falling behind, unnable to keep up with the speed of the others.

"Sam!" he yelled at the fat boy, and Sam stopped and looked at them. He was scared and his face was red from running, but he smiled for a second.

"Sandor! Jon!"

"Keep running, you bloody idiot!" Sandor pushed the boy to urge him to keep running, and Sam did as told. Sandor looked back again; the White Walkers were close now. Three of them were almost behind them.

Sandor unfolded his dragonglass dagger, one that Sam had found months ago, and turned around to face the Others, ignoring the shouts of his companions. He slated one of the White Walker's belly with the dragonglass dagger, cutting him in two, and with a strong blow cut off the second Walker's head of, that feel from his neck and got buried in the snow at his feet. The trident White Walker managed to dodge Sandor's attack and punched him, throwing the man on the back to the snow. The dead monster jumped over him, his glowing blue eyes bloodthirty and dead, but Sandor buried his dagger in one of them and the walking corpse fell over him, definitedly lifeless this time.

"Sandor, run!" Jon was yelling at him, and he could hear Sam's scared cries.

They reached the Wall with the Others on their heels. They arrived at the entrance of the tunnels along with other members of the Night's watch just as the gates were being closed. Luckily, they all managed to pass before that happened, and the gates closed on the Others noses. Everybody could hear their furious fists slamming against the strong doors.

"Keep walking and keep your head down" Sandor told Ygritte, and she did so. Then he looked at Jon. "You as well. It's going to be a nightmare once they see you dressed like that."

But they couldn't hide it for long. As soon as they came out from the tunnel, they all recognized Jon.

"Jon!"

"JON!"

"Lord Snow!"

"What in seven hells are you doing with wildling clothes, kid?" Jeor Mormont exclaimed. Then he saw Ygritte. "And who is she?!"

"I can explain" Jon quickly said, and so he did. It was a long story, and Sandor wasn't paying much attention. He sat down to rest, tired of running, and he only looked back up when Lord Mormont patted him in the back like a master did to a good dog.

"Well done Clegane. Thank you for bringing him back."

He just grunted, not saying anything, and stayed there in silence while all kinds of murmurs filled the air with the scared voices of the men of the Night's Watch. They had all pissed their pants running away from the Others. Sandor didn't blame them, everyone was terrified of something. He had run away from the fire, after all.

"I'll deal with you later" Mormont told Ygritte, but she said nothing.

A voice raised over all the murmurs then, calling for Lord Mormont.

"Lord Mormont!" the young lad said. "You have to come, m'lord. Walder and Pyp found a woman yesterday morning, ser. She wasn't far from here, ser, she has laying in the snow half dead."

Many men showed to have some interest in those news as soon they heard the word "woman", and Mormont frowned. A woman in Castle Black, as if he didn't have enough trouble already...

"Where is she?" he asked.

"In maester Aemon's chambers, ser. One more thing, ser, she won't tell us her name. But she's been calling for one of the men the whole time."

"Which one?"

"Jon Snow."

That surprised both Jon and Sandor. A woman had come all the way to Castle Black looking for the bastard of Winterfell? Jon didn't know any women, or at least any that were still alive. When he entered the castle to see who that person was, Sandor followed him, curious as too see who it might be. Ygritte and Sam also went with them, awkwardly walking behind them, and Sandor noticed annoyed that all of Jon's friends and the Lord Commander were also following them to maester Aemon's chambers. They reached the doors and Jon stormed right inside, ignoring all the people that where there with him. Maester Aemon was sitting in a chair, his blind eyes fixed on the wall infront of him without seeing it. At his side there was a bed, and a young woman whose face they couldn't see.

"Maester Aemon?" Jon asked, confused.

The old blind man seemed delighted to hear Jon's voice. He never liked it when a member of the Watch went missing beyond the Wall, and he was very much releived when he knew that Jon was back, safe and sound.

"Ah, young Snow!" the old man exclaimed. "Come, come! It fills me with joy to hear that you are back. Come!"

"They have told me that she was calling for me?" Jon took a small step towards Aemon and the girl in the bed. Sandor tried to sneak a peek from the door, but the girl's face was hidden behind Aemon.

The maester nodded, but before she could say anything, it was the girl that spoke. Her voice was just a soft, weak low whisper.

" _Jon_..."

All color drained from Jon's face, which turned just as white as that of the Others. Sandor, on the other hand, felt his heart jumping out of his chest and going up to his throat as soon as he heard that voice. His ears must have tricked him, it was not possible...

" _Jon_..."

"SANSA!"

Sandor pushed Sam and Jon away from him and crossed to the other side of the room with two single quick steps, and kneeled at the side of the bed, next to the girl. He looked at her with eyes wide with disbelief, and he felt them being quickly flooded by tears. He took her small hand between his. She has so thin that Sandor thought she would break. Se had changed. Her hair was long to her waist, and much darker than it had been before. Her face revealed that she had faced intense hunger... But it was her alright. Most importantly, she was alive...

"Sansa" he rasped, feeling a tight pain in his chest, and she opened her eyes. Those incredible blue eyes that he had missed so much every day and every night locked on his. She didn't seem to react at first.

"Sandor...?" she whispered after what seemed like an eternity. "Am I dead?"

"No, little bird, you are not dead" he said as fast as he could. His voice was full with emotion. He didn't even know how it was possible that his little bird was there, alive, at the Wall. But he didn't care, the only thing that mattered was that she was alive an there with him. "Sansa..."

"Sandor!"

Sansa's voice has recovered her strenght. She stood up on the bed and threw her arms around him, holding him against her with a strenght that Sandor didn't know where she had taken it from, but he did the same thing, holding her tightly agaisnt his chest. He kissed her hair while she cried hysterically, sobbing without control.

"Sandor! I tho-thought you were de-dead!"

"I thought you were too, little bird" he said, actually starting to sob as well. "I thought you were dead..."

_This is a miracle_ he thought.

The little bird let go of him, breaking the embrance, but just so that she could kiss him. He kissed her back, hungrily, passionately, wanting her. He had missed her so much he was going crazy. He needed her. Sandor didn't give a fuck if the Lord Commander and the members of the Night's Watch and Jon were watching them, he had to kiss her again like that, no matter what the consequences.

And as suddenly as she had kissed him, Sansa broke apart from Sandor and slapped him right in the face. He stayed silent, feeling a strong stinging on his cheek from the slap. He heard the others gasping behind him, but he ignored them and so dis Sansa.  
She kissed him again, cupping his face with her hands, and for the second time, slapped him once she broke the kiss. The room was silent as a cript, except for Sansa's sobs.

_I deserved that_ Sandor thought. He could even imagine the hell that Sansa's life had been in the last year.

"Don-don't e-ever le-leave me again..."

Before sayin anything back, Sandor leaned in to kiss her and this time she didn't break away to hit him. She kissed him back instead, and Sandor tasted her strawberry lips, wet with salty tears. Sansa threw her arms around Sandor's neck, still hardly believing that her beloved was alive.

" _Never"_ he then said firmly. It was a promise, and he didn't intend to break it for as long as he lived.


	12. Say My Name, So I Will Know You're Back, You're Here Again.

Sansa didn't even know how she had managed to stay alive during all those months on the run. She only knew that the memory of her son had given her strenght, and she knew that if she managed to reach the Wall and reunite with her bastard brother Jon, she might have a chance to get Ned back. She couldn't just ride into King's Landing and look for him, that was impossible. She had to get away, even if it pained her to do so.

When she had ran from the burning Clegane Keep, she had taken a small bag full of gold and silver with her, though for many nights she had slept at night in the woods, afraid to be found by the Lannister men. At least, she could sleep more calmly knowing that Gregor would never go after her again. The fire had consumned him.

Sansa had finally stayed at an inn when the hunger was too strong, the nights too cold, and she was far away from Clegane Keep and Lannisport that she could he safe. She had stolen a long knife from the kitchens at night to make sure she would be able to defend herself in case anybody attacked. She had never stabbed a man, but she figured that it couldn't be much more difficult that setting Gregor Clegane on fire.

After that first night at the inn by the road, she had kept travelling and spent a night at an inn only after wert three days, when she desperatedly needed to eat. She had no idea of how to hunt, so she starved during those three days, but she could survive only on water for at least that time, and she was always able to find a stream from which to drink. Later, at the inns, she always used her gold and silver to buy enough food to make up for those days that she had spent with an empty stomach. She figured that she should maybe learn how to hunt, but it would be useless; she didn't even know how to cook, and she was definitedly not going to eat raw meat.

It was a tough life. She never spoke with anyone, and she stayed as far away from people as possible, in fear of being discovered. The only time apart from when she talked to the innkeepers that she spoke to another person was at a market that she rode to in a small town, where she bought herself a new warm cloak with a hood to keep her face hidden. The dress that she had ran away with from the keep was not fitting for that kind of travelling an it was already almost in rags, apart from dirty, and she had cold with it. The new cloak, of a nice dark green color, at least protected her from that.

After that day, her only company was her white horse Warrior; she needed to speak out loud sometimes, or she was afraid to go mad at any moment.

Sansa started being worried about the gold one she was already reaching the North. She still had enough money for some nights to spend in inns, and to cross the Trident through the Twins.

However, before she reached that place, she heard the news: her lady mother and her brother Robb were dead, murdered at the Twins. In the past, Sansa would have reacted to those news by breaking into tears, but at that moment she just felt... numb. She wasn't surprised at all about the fate of her family. All those that she loved were sentenced to horrible deaths. Maybe that was the solution to her tragedy, stop loving. Maybe then people would stop to die...

She ended up crossing the the Trident in a boat big enough for her, Warrior, and the boy that took them across in exhange for some silver coins. Just to be prepared in case that anything happened, Sansa kept her long, stolen knife in her hand the whole time.

 _What has happened to me?_ she wondered, half horrified with her attitude. Months or a year ago, she would have never acted that way. She had always been a corteous, naive little bird with songs in her head.

_Well, I'm NOT a little bird anymore. I'm a mother that needs to reach the Wall to get my son back, and I need to do it alive._

She remembered the words Sandor had told her once. _**"The world is built by killers"**_. She hadn't believed it back then, but it turned out to be true. She herself was a killer.

 _Sandor would have laughed seeing Gregor burning_ she thought, remembering the macabre scene.

It had taken almost two months to cross the North and reach the Wall. She had to take a longer road to avoid Winterfell, and the constant snows and blizards made her slow down and have to stay at inns for longer that she had whished. Weeks before reaching her destination, all the gold and the silver was gone. The harshness of her trip was obvious in her looks. She hadn't cut her hair in months, and it almost went past down her waist. She couldn't take care of it, so even thought she tried to keep it as clean as possible, it had turned into a mess and it had darkened because of the enormous decay in her health, loosing it's shiny look. Her skin was tight and pale, and her cheeks hollow. Her body was made of bones and skin, but she kept going, never letting go until she finally glimpsed the Wall in the distance. She strenght had prevailed until then, but it did no more.

The last thing she remembered was falling from Warrior and passing out on the snow. Then the Night's Watch men came, and with them, Sandor.

* * *

The Lord Commander had told everyone to get out of the room, even Jon Snow and maester Aemon, to let Sansa rest. But when he had seen Sandor dangerously staring at him with narrowed eyes, Lord Mormont allowed the man to stay and take care of her. For a second, Jon Snow didn't seem very pleased to hear that, but when he looked at his half-sister peacefully sleeping in Sandor's arms with a faint smile on her face he just sighted and nodded his aproval, leaving the chambers. Lord Mormont closed the door behind them all, leaving Sandor and Sansa alone to rest.

Sandor stayed there for hours, holding his little bird in his arms while she slept. He caresses her hair and looked at her with loving eyes, waiting patienlly for her to wake up. Just by staring at her, it was obvious to him that she had suffered a great deal before getting to that place. Sandor could still not believe that she was alive. How the little bird had scaped was a mystery to him.

"Little bird" he rasped, kissing her hair again and letting his head rest by her side. He felt tired, but he didn't fall asleep. He wanted to be there when she woke up, he wanted to greet her and smile at her and kiss her sweet lips.

However, he wasn't able to keep awake after nightfall. He dozed off to sleep, but it was a light sleep. Everytime there was a slight movement or sound inside the room he woke up, looked around to make sure everything was fine and Sansa was still asleep in his arms, and went back to sleep again. The next morning he woke up as soon as the sunshine came through the window. He hadn't had much rest but he didn't feel tired. When he found himself on the bed with his arms around the little bird he thought he was dreaming, and he wished for that dream to never end. But he soon realized that it wasn't a dream, it was real. He held Sansa tightly against him and waited a few more hours until she finally darted moving.

"Sandor...?" she whispered, blinking her eyes and turning around to stare at Sandor.

"Good morning, little bird" he said, putting his forehead against hers, and she smiled.

"So it wasn't a dream..."

"No, little bird, it wasn't a dream."

Now fully awake, Sansa threw her arms around Sandor's neck and kissed him. He put a hand on her back and another one on her hip and kissed her back. The kiss was sweet and intense at the same time.

"How is it possible?" Sansa asked once they broke apart. "How is it possible that you are alive? I saw them... I saw them kill you, they cut your head off."

"That's what they made you think. You fainted before the sword went down, you never saw it near my head, did you?"

Now that she thought about it, what Sandor was saying was true. She had never actually seen Sandor's head being chopped off, or blood, or his head on a pike. She was on so much pain and grieve at the time that she didn't think of how unlike Joffrey it was of him that he hadn't had the cruelty of making her stare at her lover's head, like he had done with her father.

She felt angered. She had always known (well, not always, but still) that Joffrey was a monster... but making her believe that Sandor was dead, when in truth he was safe at the Wall?! It was crueller than having him actually killed!

"How could he...?"

"Joffrey is a bastard, little bird, we all now that. I can imagine how you felt. If your pain at my 'death' was nearly as strong as mine at yours, you must have been in Hell."

Sansa frowned.

"My death? Did he make you believe that I was executed, too?!"

Sandor shook his head, and his expression darkened.

"We received a crow some months ago..." he rasped, and Sansa could feel the rage in his voice, rage that he was trying to contain. "It said that... that they married you off to my brother?"

Sansa fell silent, unable to speak. Memories of her marriage to Gregor Clegane flashed in her mind. She had been strong in Clegane Keep, but now all the emotions that she had kept locked deep within her came rushing outside. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Sandor in the eyes, and started to shake. She nodded.

Sandor closed his hand into a fist, wanting to punch somebody. He had hoped that it had been another cruel lie invented by Joffrey to torture him, but no. They had actually sentenced Sansa to live in a Hell of pain with his monster of a brother. The Hound had been asleep for a long time inside him, but he could feel it awakening. He could actually start murdering people now just to imagine that they were his brother and Joffrey.

"What did he do to you, little bird?" he asked a little bit roughly, maybe. Sansa sobbed.

"He... He hit me. He made me do things... disgusting things. I ran away, but he found me and took me to his keep."

She didn't tell him of the real reason why she ran away, to protect Ned. She didn't know how to tell him about Eddard, about her son... _Their_ son. She was afraid of his reaction, and also, she was afraid of breaking inside if she mentioned her stolen baby's name.

"Did he...?" Sandor seemed to be struggling to ask the next question. "Did the bastard rape you?"

"I never let him see me cry" it wasn't a no or a yes, but Sandor understood her perfectly. "And I threw away his milk of the poppy so that he would be in pain and leave me alone."

Sandor allowed himself to be proud of Sansa when he heard that, controlling his anger. Not many had been brave enough to defy Gregor, and Sansa had not only done that, but she had also survived. This was a different Sansa than the little naive girl that he had known, the girl that believed that life was a song and liked gentle knights and fair maidens. This Sansa was tough and strong and brave.

Still, it angered and pained him that she had been hurt by the person that he hated most in the entire world.

" _I'll kill him"_ if Sansa was alive, then he suppossed that his brother was as well.

Sansa put a hand on his chest, and the other one against his burnt cheek.

"There's no need for that" she whispered. "I already did it."

Sandor didn't understand.

"What?"

"I killed him. _I_ killed Gregor. I took a torch from the wall and I hit him with it until he was on fire, and then I watched him burn. Believe me, Sandor, it felt like _justice_."

Sansa could see the shock in Sandor's face when she said that. She wished that she could read his mind to know what he was thinking. Was he mad at her? After all, all that he had wanted during his entire life was to kill his brother, and now she had taken that away from him.

But when Sandor finally reacted, he wasn't angry. Instead, he gently caressed the side of Sansa's face with his rough fingertips.

"Seven bloody hells, ittle bird, what have they done to you…?"

 _They took my son away_ Sansa thought, but she didn't say it out loud. _And what kind of mother wouldn't fight with all she had to escape and try to get him back?_

"Are you mad? Because I killed him, I mean."

"No, little bird, I'm not mad. I'm proud of you. You have learned how to defend yourself. I'm just furious that you had to learn it because of such a horrible thing."

"Didn't we all?" Sansa whispered, looking at the burnt side of his face.

Yes, this wasn't the naïve little girl that Sandor had met back in Winterfell years ago, and that he had constantly tried to protect in King's Landing. She was now a grown woman, conscious of the cruelty of the world and life. Sandor was glad that she had become so strong, but at the same time he felt pity. Sansa's sweet innocence was truly lost forever now.

Sansa broke the silence, cuddling closer to Sandor's huge body.

"I still can't believe that I'm here with you" she said, burying her head in his chest. Sandor took her chin with his hand and raised her head so that he could kiss her. She smiled against his mouth, and Sandor felt that he could die happy after that.

They had to pull apart when someone knocked on the door of the room and it opened. Sam stepped inside, glancing at them with a nervous smile. In other occasion Sandor might have been pissed for being interrupted when he was with his little bird, but right now, even after everything that he had learned, nothing could ruin his mood.

"Good morning!" Sam said, still smiling. He bowed his head to Sansa. "Milady, it's such a relief to see you alive and well. I am Samwell Tarly, at your service. I'm also a friend of your brother."

"Where is he?!" Sansa asked, also smiling. She could not wait to see Jon, it had been so long since she had last seen anyone of her family… And he was the last sibling that she had left.

"In the dining room, waiting to break his fast with you. I've sent some brothers to fetch hot water for your bath. Also…" Sam had been carrying something in his arms. It turned out to be a simple but warm blue dress and a matching cloak "I rode last night to the nearest town, I thought that you would like to change… It's not silk or beautiful, but…"

"It's perfect, thank you so very much!" Sansa exclaimed, happy, and got out of the bed. She took the dress and the cloak from Sam and then she hugged the fat boy. Sam looked nervous for a second, but then he returned her the hug.

"I'll leave you alone now" he said. He left the room, and Sandor followed him, but not before he kissed Sansa one last time. He wouldn't be able to do it later.

They closed the door behind them when they left the master's chambers and they walked to the dining room, where the rest of the Night's Watch men were already breaking their fast.

"You must be very happy" Sam said to Sandor.

"Aye. You can't imagine how much" he nodded.

"She looks very happy too. Thought I couldn't help but notice that there's something odd in her eyes. Like there's a part of her that's sad."

Sandor had noticed it too. Sansa's eyes were bright with joy, but deep within them there was a certain emptiness. Like if a part of her heart had been ripped right out of her. It was no wonder, Sansa had been living a torment day after day during more than a year; the strange thing would have been that she wasn't broken. But she was at the Wall with Sandor and her brother now, they would take care of her, and she would forget. Sooner or later she would forget.

Jon ran straight to him once he entered the crowded dining room of Castle Black. He looked worried, and the black bags beneath his eyes revealed that he hadn't been able to sleep.

"How is she? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, Jon" Sandor assured him, patting the lad's back. "Your sister is fine. She'll be here soon."

Jon sighted, relieved, and sat back down on the table next to his friends and Ygritte. The wildling woman had been welcome at Castle Black, at least for now. She was behaving peacefully, and sometimes spoke to some of the brothers, who treated her well because she was with Jon. Next to her was seated the other wildling woman, Gilly. She has holding her baby in her arms.

"Did she tell you anything?" Jon asked Sandor once he also sat down.

"She did. If you want to know what, ask her. See if she wants to tell you."

They started eating their porridge. About half an hour later, Sansa appeared in the room.

She was beautiful. She was still very thin and dressed in a dress fit for a lady or a princess, but she looked more like herself than how she had looked last night. Her hair, now washed, fell in long auburn curls all the way down her back; her blue eyes shone like sapphires, and her cheeks had a rosy, healthier tone, regained by her long sleep.

Jon stood up and ran to her, hugging her and lifting her up in the air. Sansa laughed and cried, happy to be reunited with her brother. She had never treated him very well because of his birth, but he was her brother and that was all that mattered now.

They sat down at the table so that she could eat, and that's when she saw Gilly and her baby.

She froze right on the spot. For a second she thought: _Ned!_ But then she realized that this baby was different, older, and not hers. All the sorrow from his loss hit her again, and she felt like she was about to cry.

"Sansa?" Jon asked, realizing that something wasn't right. She quickly dried the tears in her eyes with her hands.

"So-sorry. I got something in my eye…" she lied. Then, she smiled at the baby. "He's a beautiful baby."

"Thank you" Gilly said, a little shy.

Sansa was introduced to everyone, and she saluted the courteously, not forgetting her manners. Sandor thought that it was impressive that she was still able to act kindly, after all that she had suffered. The Lord Commander passed by to properly introduce himself to her too. She thanked him for allowing her to stay at Castle Black, and Mormont told her that it would be her new home for as long as she wanted. She was safe there.

Once she was done breaking her fast, she went outside. They gave permission to Sandor to go and spend some time with her walking her around the Wall. She also wanted Jon to come with her but the Lord Commander requested his presence, so he had to leave with the promise that he would spend time with her later in the day. Sandor took her to the elevator that carried the black brothers to the top of the Wall. At first, Sansa was a little afraid, but Sandor took her hand in his and she calmed down until they reached the top. Sansa's breath caught in her chest when she saw the beautiful views of the North at both sides of the Wall.

"Do you like it?" Sandor asked with a smile.

"Yes!"

"We could stay here. I know that you deserve to like in your own castle, with maids and servants and nice dresses and pretty things and delicious food, but the Wall is safe as long as we stay on the right side of it" Sandor said. "Or we could run. Go to the Free Cities, whatever you want, little bird."

"No" she said, to harshly that it took him by surprise. Sansa's eyes had widened, fixed on a point far away in the distance. She shook her head. "No, we can't leave… We can't stay here either. We need to go back."

" _Back?"_ Sandor repeated stunned, as if she had just said the craziest thing ever. "Back where, little bird?"

"We need to go back… to King's Landing."

 _Ned, I have to save Ned…_ was all she was thinking. She had to go back to the capital and find out what had happened to her child. Oh, but how was she going to tell Sandor about it?! She had to, eventually; she could not keep that truth from him. But she was afraid…

" _What?!_ Back to King's Landing? Buggering hells, bird, are you mad?!"

-I need to fid him!- she exploded, but she was still not able to say his name out loud. She hadn't spoken it in months. "I need to find him… Please, you have to help me find him…"

"Find who?" Sandor's face darkened. For a second, he went back to being the Hound, with those eyes that scared Sansa so much when she had first met him. "Did you get yourself a new lover when you thought I was dead, is that it?"

"Sandor!" Sansa's mouth opened in a wide "o" of disbelief. "How can you think of me like that?!"

"And why not?" Sandor was not thinking clearly. If he had been, he wouldn't have said such a thing. "You didn't have your dog there to keep your bed warm at night, so you found yourself a new pet. A fine, handsome young knight in white armor, perhaps?"

He didn't even know why he was saying such stupidities. Sansa hadn't given him any reason to think like that; quite the contrary, actually. She had been overwhelmed with happiness when she had seen him alive. But somehow, Sandor's insecurities around her always managed to defeat him. How could she, such a beautiful young woman, love an ugly dog like him? Of course she had found someone else when he was gone!

Sansa slapped him in the good cheek. She hit him with much more strength than she had last time, and it hurt. It hurt his pride more than anything.

He was mad, but Sansa was furious. He had never seen her like this.

 _She burned my brother alive with a fucking torch, she might as well push me off the Wall like she intended to do with Joffrey_ Sandor thought bitterly, knowing that Sansa could be dangerous when she was really angry. And right now she was very, very angry.

" _Why do you always have to be so hateful?!"_ she screamed at him. "Yes, I found a new love when you were gone; someone to whom I gave all my love! He was the one that kept me alive during all that time when you weren't there to protect me anymore. _And I'm going to go back and find him!"_

" _Fine!"_ he spat. "Go back and find your fairy tale prince, but don't expect me to go with you and safe his arse from the lions!"

He turned around, intending to walk away from Sansa. She bit her lips and fought the tears that wanted to jump from her eyes. She needed to tell him now; she had to…

"His name is Eddard Clegane! He's half a year old."

Sandor stopped dead on his track. He quickly turned around with his eyes wide and his face shocked. Sansa sobbed, unable to restrain her emotions anymore.

"What do you mean, Sansa?" his voice was dangerously cold.

"Ned… my son…" she sobbed. Gods, her chest hurt so much… Just like it had been hurting for months.

"You…" Sandor couldn't believe it. "You had a son… with him? With Gregor?"

Of course, that was the obvious thing for him to think. After all, Gregor had been her husband for a whole year. Sansa slowly shook her head.

"No… Not with him."

Sandor gasped, but he was unable to speak. He just stared at her in such a manner that one would think that he was staring at wildfire.

"He has my eyes, blue like the skies, but he reminded me of you. He was all that I had left in the world, all that I had left of you, and I loved him with all my heart! My little Ned... _Our son_ , Sandor. Yours and mine…"

Sandor walked over to her, and grabbed her arms with his huge hands.

"I can't be… It's not true, little bird, tell me it's not true…"

She couldn't. When she burst into real tears instead of sobs, tears full of emotional pain, he knew. Sandor knew she was telling the truth. Sansa wrapped her arms around Sandor and he did the same with her, as if shielding her from the world, while she cried against his torso.

Sandor's mind was racing. A son. He had a son with Sansa, a little blue-eyed baby named Ned. It was like a miracle, never in his life he would have though that he would be a father, much less he would have ever dreamed of having a son with Sansa! Sansa, his beautiful little bird, had given him a son… But that son wasn't there with her. That's when he knew that something was very, very wrong. For a second he panicked, thinking that maybe the baby had perished along with his brother during the fire at Clegane Keep, but then he realized that Sansa had said that he was in the capital.

"What happened? Sansa, why is he in King's Landing, and not with you?"

"She took him away from me! Cersei took him from my arms… She gave him to Joffrey, I couldn't do anything, I tried…"

Sandor saw red… He had ever felt more furious in his life. _Never_. His son… That blonde bitch had dared to take his son away from his mother's arms…

"I will rip her heart out" Sandor promised Sansa. "I swear, little bird, you will have Ned back. We will have our son back. Even if I have to burn down King's Landing and the entire fucking world to find him, I will bring him back."

 _Even if it's the last thing I do_ he promised then to himself, and to his son.


	13. It's Been Written In The Scars On Our Hearts

"You two what?!" Lord Commander Mormont could not get out of his astonishment. He looked at Sandor and then at Sansa and then back at Sandor again with eyes wide in awe. Sansa could understand it: one thing was for Ned Stark's daughter to take the Hound as her lover, but them having a son together was bound to shock everyone.

"I carried the baby while I was married to Ser Gregor, and gave birth while on the run" Sansa repeated, to make sure the old bear remembered the story. The next part was always the harder to tell. She took a deep breath before saying: "Cersei Lannister took him away from me. She gave my baby to Joffrey. I don't know what he did with him."

She felt Sandor tense at her side. He had a really hard time controlling his temper when that matter was mentioned. Just at the thought of that little golden shit taking his son away... Sandor wanted nothing more than to smash Joffrey's skull with his own bare hands, which he would gladly do if anything had happened to his son. Sansa tried to call herself and stop thinking that something bad had happened to her baby by recalling how much interest Joffrey had in him. He had a purpose for that baby, otherwise he would just have driven his sword through Ned's tiny heart right in front of Sansa. But Sansa knew that there were things as bad or worse than death. She would never forget the torment that she had lived in King's Landing and in Clegane Keep.

 _At least, Lord Tyrion is there. Maybe he will take care of Ned. He helped me escape, he's a good man. He's not cruel_ she thought.

Lord Mormont sat down on a wooden chair, shock clearly shown in his face. In a dark corner of the room, maester Aemon was sitting on another chair, silently listening to Sansa and Sandor's words, just as Jon and Sam were doing, quietly standing next to the door like statues. Sansa had told Jon about Ned before going to talk to Lord Mormont. Sandor had thought that maybe Jon would try to punch him in the face, but Jon's reaction was quite the contrary. There was sorrow in his face, and anger for what they had done to his sister and his nephew. He had patted Sandor in the back and encouraged them to go talk to the Lord Commander, and he had also promised that he would help them in everyway that he could.

Jeor Mormont passed his hand over his face and sighted, clearly not knowing what to do or say.

"Well... That is monstruous. I knew that Queen Cersei was despicable, but stealing a newborn babe from his mother's arms... And that Joffrey boy, he doesn't surprise me as much. He's got a twisted mind... I would like to help you, milady, but I'm afraid that there's nothing that we can do, specially in these hard days."

"We haven't come here to ask for your help" Sansa said very firmly. "We have come to you to ask you to please let Sandor go. So that both of us can ride back to the capital and look for our son."

Lord Mormont looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"Clegane? Leave the Wall? Impossible! He is a man of the Night's Watch, he has taken the black! It is a duty for life, everybody knows it, since thousands of years ago."

Jon took a step forward.

"With your permission, Lord Commander" he said after clearing his throat. "Sandor Clegane never swore any vows. And contrary to all the rest of the men sent to the Wall, this wasn't his choice. All the men, even the criminals, are given the choice of coming to the Wall or facing another fate for their actions. But Sandor Clegane never had that choice. Since when is the Wall a prison?"

Sansa smiled at her brother, silently thanking him for his help. She knew that the Old Bear was fond of Jon, and he owed the young lad his life. He was more likely to listen to him than any other, and what Jon was saying was true.

"And then what? Do you plan to take on King's Landing, just the two of you, and go into the Red Keep, kill the Lannisters, find your son and get back out alive? You are insane."

"I am Sansa Stark!" the girl exclaimed. "I am Princess of the North, Lady of Winterfell, the sister of the King in the North and the daughter of Lord Eddard Stark. The Northeners will help me against the Lannisters, to take revenge."

"The King in the North is dead, murdered along with his men" Jeor Mormont replied. "And the Northeners might help you safe the heir of Winterfell, not the Hound's bastard."

Jon and Sam had to jump over Sandor to stop him from taking out his sword and cutting Mormont in half. His face was of a dark red color, and his showed his teeth like a wild dog. In his struggle to get rid of them, he hit Sam with the elbow on the face and the fat boy fell to the floor on his back in a rather ridiculous way.

"Watch your fucking mouth, you old decrepit!" he yelled. Sansa stepped in front of him and cupped his face between her hands, forcing him to look down a her.

"Love, calm down, look at me. Look at me" she said, and slowly, Sandor did as she said. Once he had stopped trying to get rid of the two lads hands, Jon and Sam let go of him. "That's right, calm down... Lord Mormont didn't mean to insult Ned, he was just stating a fact, a real fact unfortunatelly." After saying that, she turned around to look at Mormont, who had backed a few steps away from Sandor. "Milord, do you have any children?"

Mormont nodded. "Aye, milady. Though I can not say that I'm proud of my son."

"But you still love him" the subtle way in which the elder man's eyes suddenly shone told Sansa that she was right. "Then you must know the pain that a parent feels when he's away from his children. The why that one seems to be dying inside at the mere thought of any harm coming to them... I feel as if a knife has ripped my heart out of my chest, and I need to take it back. _I need my son back_. And I need Sandor to do that. Please, milord, please listen to me. As a parent, understand my sorrow. _I'm begging you_."

Sansa's eyes were watery. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to look weak. She had to keep still and look straight at the Lord Commander's eyes without even blinking. It was an invisible pulse between both of them, and she had to be the winner. She knew that Sandor would leave with her either way, with or without permission, but she didn't want him to become a deserter on the run. Her own father had beheaded desesters of the Wall.

Finally, Mormont made a decision.

"What are your plans?"

Sansa let out a small laugh full of relief. Sandor's arms embraced her from behind. He was free; now they could go to save their precious little son.

"Lord Commander" Sam said quickly, who had been helped on his feet by Jon. He walked closer to the man. "They... We... actually have a plan. I think it's a good one!"

"Really, Tarly? Tell me of this plan."

"Well, we all have heard of the Queen at the other side of the Narrow Sea, the Targaryen Queen. Daenerys Stormborn, Mother of Dragons. I have heard that she wants to take the Iron Throne... Ma-maybe she'll help Sandor and Sansa to take back their son from the Lannisters, once she returns from Essos."

"Daenerys Targaryen? Why on Seven Hells would she help the daughter of the man that fought in the rebellion against her father, and the brother of the murderer of her nephew and goodsister?!"

 _Seven fucking hells, even in death Geegor manages to be a pain in the arse_ Sandor thought angrily. He was about to snap again when suddenly maester Aemon talked for the first time that day.

"Perhaps, you should give young Snow the letter now" he said to Mormont. "The time is finally right to do it."

Everyone frowned after hearing those words , wondering what they meant.

"Letter?" Jon asked. " _What letter?"_

"A letter that your father gave to your uncle Benjen to give to us, when he left for King's Landing and you joined us" Mormont said. "He gave us instructions to give you the letter only when absolutely necessary, at the right moment, and only if he couldn't return. That moment might never arrive but... it seems this is that time."

Everyone shot Mormont and maester Aemon a questioning glance. Maester Aemon was solemn, while Mormont looked uncomfortable.

"If you all would please leave us alone with young Snow..."

Sansa, Sandor and Sam left the room. They were all wondering what was going on at the other side of the door, curious to know what Lord Stark wanted to tell to Jon in that letter. It sounded important... Sansa wondered if it had anything to do with his mother.

 _Maybe she's someone_ _important_ Sansa hoped. _Then maybe she will help us. Perhaps she or her family could provide an army against the Lannisters, if they are a powerful army?_

It would be perfect if that turned out to be the case.

But she couldn't get her hopes up. She knew that getting her son back wasn't going to be easy at all, and if she couldn't afford to think that that ugly business would have a fairy tale ending.

It was a long time until the door of the room opened again and Jon came out. Whoever saw him could probably think that he had seen a ghost, due to his face drained of color and shocked expression.

"What did the letter say, Jon?" Sansa asked, eager for good news. But her half brother didn't respond to her question.

"Pack your things" he said instead to all of them. "We are leaving. Sam, get maps, crows, coin and food. I'll go get the girls. Sandor, you'll take some weapons. It's going to be a long journey..."

And still with that shocked (and somewhat angry) expression fixed on his face, Jon walked away, leaving Sansa behind totally confused.

"We are leaving now? But what did the letter say? Why does he look like that?"

"I have no fucking idea, little bird. But judging from his expression, it will be better not to ask him of it for now" Sandor said. "Now, go and pack whatever you need, little bird. We are finally leaving."

He smiled warmly at her and leaned in to kiss her before leaving to take some weapons as Jon had ordered. If they were leaving for Essos, it was true that they were going to need them.

Sansa didn't have much to pack, just three simple and warm dresses that they had bought for her in a village and a cloak, she had nothing else. All her belongings had burned along with Gregor at Clegane Keep, but she didn't care. She didn't need any pretty expensive silk dresses or any stupid, useless objects. She went outside the castle to meet with Sandor and the others. Her beloved had fetched weapons for all of them, even for Sansa (some dagger that might be very useful at some point). Ygritte, Gilly and her baby were there as well, and Jon and Sam joined them later with their horses. Warrior was much healthier than he had been when Sansa arrived at the Wall, and she smiled happily when she saw her destrier. She mounted it, and so did the others with their horses.

"Where are we going?" asked Sam.

"To Eastwatch by the Sea" answered Jon. Ygritte was sharing the horse with him, as she did not know how to ride. She hadn't been very happy when she had been taken to that place, and she had yelled and punched Jon for lying to her when they were beyond the Wall, but she had agreed to go with them after hearing Sansa's story.

They started galloping and left behind Castle Black. Sansa rode next to Sandor, not wanting to stay away from him. Sam was behind all of them, as he was not the most skilled rider, but he managed to keep up with them. It took them a few days to reach Eastwatch by the Sea, where they could get a ship to Braavos. Jon gave the Night's Watch men there a sealed letter from the Lord Commander, and they had they way free to the ship. It was a very small ship, but it would do. There were three cabins available. Jon wanted Ygritte and Gilly to share one, but Ygritte refused to sleep away from him, so she ended up sharing a cabin with Jon, while Sam stayed with Gilly and her baby. Sansa, obviously, shared a cabin with Sansa.

Sansa sat on the small, uncomfortable bed at night. She should be getting ready to go to sleep, but she had never been more awake, even though with all the exhaustion from the traveling. Sandor noticed her focused expression as she stared at some lost point in the distance, and he sat next to her. The bed shrinked a little under his weight.

"Are you alright, little bird?" when he didn't get an answer from her, Sandor put his arm around Sansa's waist. "Sansa?"

"I need to get him back, Sandor" she whispered, and he understood perfectly find what she felt. "I can't fail him, not again. I'm a terrible mother... How could I let them take him away from me..."

"There was nothing you could do, Sansa" Sandor rasped. He might not have been there to see it himself, but he knew the cruelty of the Lannisters. Nothing that Sansa could have done would have changed their child's destiny. "But you are still fighting, and we will get Ned back."

"But what if it's too late?" she hissed. She was in pain, Sandor could tell as much. Not physical pain, but a much stronger emotional one. "What if Joffrey has hurt him? I can't live without my son, Sandor."

"Don't say that" he barked. He hadn't meant for his words to come out of his mouth violently, but he couldn't help himself. He could not bare the thought of losing his little bird again. And also, he couldn't lose his son. He had never met the baby, never set eyes on him, but he already loved him more than anything in the world, as much as he loved Sansa. He wanted to hold that baby in his arms, take care of him, protect him, see him grow and be happy and strong... He wanted to have his family together, because that's what Sansa and Ned were: his family. "We will get him back, and you will be fine. I promise."

Sansa sobbed. She was strong, yes, but she couldn't help her tears sometimes. That she wasn't broken didn't mean that she wasn't damaged.

Nothing pained Sandor more than to see the little bird's tears.

"Come here, little bird, don't cry" he said, tanking her chin gently with his hand and raising her head so that he could cover her mouth with his in a soft, gentle kiss full of love.

Sansa responded effusively to the kiss, turning her body to face Sandor and she threw her arms around her neck, pulling her body closer to his. Sandor was positively surprised, and he deepened the kiss. He parted Sansa's lips with his tongue and entangled it with hers in a slow, wet dance.

She cried against his mouth.

"Sandor..."

He fell on his back on the bed, with Sansa on top of him. She had her legs at his sides and her arms still around his neck. Sandor caressed her back slowly and then one of his huge hands travelled down her leg, lifting later the skirts of her dress and caressing the bare skin underneath. He inmediatly felt himself harden. Gods, he had spent so much time away from the little bird that he had almost forgotten the effect that she had on him. She drove him mad.

"You will be the death of me, little bird" he couldn't help but say, his words a bit muffled.

"Sshh, enough about death" she said. She raised her head and Sandor kissed her neck and felf the soft caress of Sansa's auburn hair on his cheek. "I have missed you so much..."

She needed him just as much as Sandor needed her. Yet, there was no rush in their movements. Every kiss, every touch was gentle and sweet, althought Sandor wanted to rip Sansa's dress right off. He didn't, knowing that Sansa was still in a delicate state physically.

Sandor sat back up, still kissing Sansa's delicious skin while undoing the laces at the back of her dress. When it was done, they parted for a couple of seconds so that he could take the dress off her, and he threw it to the floor, leaving her only in her smallclothes and revealing her breasts. They were different than the last time that Sandor had seen then, more round and fuller, changed by motherhood. He took one of them in his mouth while Sansa undid the laces of his breeches.

Moments later, when they were both fully naked, Sandor turned around, placing Sansa on her back between the bed and himself. Her body was as perfect as always, fully recovered from childbirth. The only change, apart from the fuller breast, was that her hips were wider, but Sandor loved it. His hands roamed hungrily over Sansa's hot skin, just as her own hands explored his muscled torso and discovered his new scars. She felt the wetness between her legs and moaned when the tip of Sandor's cock brushed her entrance. She hadn't felt this hood in ages. All that she had felt was pain and shame when...

Sansa froze. She closed her eyes and broke away from Sandor's kiss, and for a horrific moment in her mind she wasn't with Sandor anymore, but his Gregor, and it was his massive weight that crushed her against the bed.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. She eyes she met where grey, like the ones in her nightmares, but those eyes that were looking at her were full of love, whereas the others were full of horrors and evil darkness.

"Are you alright?" Sandor asked, worried.

Sansa nodded, calming down under Sandor's loving touch.

"Yes, my love..." she whispered. "Just... be good to me. Please?"

And again, he understood why she was saying what she was saying. He could read right through her, and he felt a dark rage building up within him. He could imagine what in seven fucking hells his monster of a brother had done to his precious little bird. It was probably a miracle that she was still alive after that, seeing what had happened to Gregor's two first wives.

 _But Sansa is made of steel_ now he thought to himself. _And now here she is, willing to be your woman even after all that she has suffered._

He admired Sansa more than anyone else he had ever met in his life.

"I won't hurt you, little bird" he said.

She smiled and kissed him, letting him know that she was ready. She raised her legs to put them around Sandor, pulling him closer to her, and then he slowly pushed himself inside her.

They both moaned in pleasure, and Sansa shivered in Sandor's arms. He pulled himself out of her and then back in, and then again and again, going slowly and tenderly. Sansa kissed him, and the kiss was intense and passionate. They moaned into each other mouths and Sansa bit his lip teasingly. He smiled against her mouth as he pushed his manhood deeper inside of her, making Sansa arch her back and throw her head back, exposing her long neck, as she moaned louder. Sandor kissed her neck, bit her soft skin and sucked, leaving a red mark there. Sansa gasped, surprised, and Sandor smiled.

"You are mine, little bird..."

"Only yours" she sighted.

Sansa felt stronger then, and felt the she-wolf awakening within her. She pushed Sandor to get him off her, throwing him on his back in the tiny bed, and she sat on top of him. Sandor raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased by this sudden change. Sansa ran her hands through Sandor's body with desire. Her eyes were full of fire, but it was a fire that pleased Sandor. He took all of her in with his eyes, exploring her perfect body. He raised his hands and covered her breasts with them. Sansa lowered her body and took his manhood inside of her. She rode him slowly but intensely, moaning as she went up and down on his cock, and never taking her Tully-blue eyes away from his grey eyes.

"Little bird..."

When Sansa reached her peak and Sandor released himself inside of her, they both moaned each others names. Afterwards, Sansa felt like her body was on fire, and she stayed there breathing heavily, with Sandor still inside of her and his seed filling her up. He never ceased of caressing her soft skin.

"I love you" she suddenly whispered, and Sandor felt his heart melting. He could not yet understand how this woman managed to bring him down so easily. He didn't respond, he just pulled her down to him to kiss her.

That was all she needed.

* * *

The arrived at Braavos in few days. They did not intend to stay in the free city, all that they needed was to buy what they needed: clothes (Sandor, Sam and Jon needed to get out of their Night's Watch black robes, and the girls, needed more suitable dresses for that place), and food. Sam took care of that, disappearing for a few hours into the crowded streets to go to a market to fetch those things. They also needed a new ship to travel all the way to Meeren, in Slaver's Bay. Jon took care of that, while Sandor stayed taking care of Sansa, Ygritte, Gilly and her baby. He ignored to glances that he was getting from everybody at his burned face, and amused himself by watching how Sansa took Gilly's baby in her arms and made cute faces at him.

 _She will be a wonderful mother to Ned once they return him to us_ he thought, sure of it. On the other hand, he was nervous. He didn't know how he would be as a father, and in truth, he was terrified.

_I'll try my best. For Sansa. For Ned. I'll be the best father that I can be._

He tried to imagine himself with a baby in his arms, and laughed softly at the thought. His life had certainly changed radically since the little bird came to it.

" ** _HOUND_**!" he suddenly heard an enraged scream behind him.

What in seven fucking hells...

He turned around and saw the sun shining in a thin blade, and reacted just in time before it pierced right through him. He grabbed the little shit that was holding the sword by the neck and raised him in the air in front of him, taking the sword away from his hand. The boy kicked and creamed, furious. Just that he wasn't a boy...

"Bugger!" Sandor swore.

"Let me go, let me go!" the girl shouted.

Sansa's mouth went wide open. "ARYA!"

The little horse-faced wolf bitch stopped shouting and kicking, looking at her older sister in awe, and Sandor growled.

"This trip just got much worse than I expected."


	14. No Plan B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this just before leaving for my first day at College!

Sansa had returned the baby to Gilly after she saw Arya; at first, both sisters had hugged each other and cried their eyes out for being reunited after so long. But then Arya had turned her attention back to Sandor, whom she didn't stop addressing as the Hound and "ugly dog" and "murderer". She ordered him to give Needle back to her, but Sandor hadn't even lifted a finger. He just looked at her with amusement, which infuriated Arya even more. She had expressed her desire for his death, and when Sansa had replied horrified that no such thing would happen to Sandor, Arya had stared at her in shock.

"Are you protecting him?!" she had gasped. "Why?! Why are you here with him?! Are the Lannisters here?!"

"No, Arya, wait. Listen to me!"

Arya had tried to punch her sister, but Sandor had pulled them apart and held Arya in place next to him. That didn't stop the girl from shouting curses at him, which were attracting the attention of the braavosi.

"Arya, please!" Sansa had exclaimed, nervous. She didn't want to be discovered, not after it had been so hard to run away. "You'll get us killed if anyone recognizes us!"

Only then did her younger sister stay silent, but still really angry. Her shouts had provoked the cries of the little baby, and Gilly tried to get him to shut up. Sansa tool him again in his arms and sang softly to him, so that he would fall asleep, and she succeeded.

Arya had only been happy when Jon returned, having already found a ship for them to travel in. He was shocked and extremely happy when he saw his little sister, and Arya ran to hug him, finally free from Sandor's hands.

They went to the ship after Sam returned with the dresses and food; Sansa was eager to leave, but they had actually quite a hard time trying to convince Ygritte to leave that place. She was in awe with Braavos. After all, everything that she had ever known was the cold ice and snow beyond the Wall.

"It's all so... colorful" she said, not able to find other words to describe the scenario.

"We are going to another city, Ygritte. It will be beautiful too, you can stay more time there" Sansa had kindly said to her. "But we really need to leave, we don't have much time."

Thankfully, Ygritte understood the urgency of the situation. She had liked Sansa, and Sansa liked her. She was a strong, independent woman, and Sansa could see that Jon really liked her. She was happy for them. Ygritte knew that Sansa was suffering because of the loss of her child and understood that this was their only chance of getting him back, so they left for the ship. It wad a much bigger ship than the poor excuse of a boat in which they had come from Westeros. They had spent almost all of their gold paying the captain for the cabins, but they didn't need it anymore so it was all right.

Arya hadn't talked to anyone but Jon since they got on the ship. Sansa went to rest in the cabin that she shared with Sandor and slept next to him in another uncomfortable and small bed like the one in the previous ship, but after having spent months on the road, those beds were perfect. When she woke up, Sandor was gone and Arya was quietly sitting on a wooden chair inside the cabin. Sansa didn't say anything, as Arya seemed to be trying to figure out how to get some words out of her mouth.

"Jon has told me everything" she finally said, so lowly that it seemed that she was almost whispering. The tone of her voice seemed both confused and... sad. "I'm sorry, Sansa. I didn't know."

"It's alright" Sansa assured her. "Wait... He has told you everything?"

Arya nodded. "Well, he had told me that you... That you had a baby."

"Oh" was all Sansa said.

"Yes... And that you have come to seek help to get your baby back, because they took him away from you. I'm really sorry, Sansa. And I'm sorry that I ran away and left you in King's Landing."

"Don't be, I'm happy that you saved yourself" Sansa meant what she said. She didn't think that it would have been possible for Arya to escape the Lannisters after their father's death. "What happened to your hair?"

"I cut it. If I look like a boy they won't hurt me" Arya shrugged. She didn't mind about her looks, that much was pretty obvious. "What did you name him? My nephew, I mean."

"Eddard."

Arya smiled. It was a sad smile.

"It's a nice name" she said, trying to not show any emotion in her voice, but it cracked a little. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why are you going through so much trouble to get him back? I mean, sure, he's your son and all, but he's a Lannister. The Lannisters won't hurt him, and you are finally free! We could go home..."

"What do you mean?" Sansa asked, confused, and trying to ignore the fact that her sister had sounded completely heartless with that comment. Why wouldn't she go back for her own son?! "A Lannister?"

"Yes. Joffrey is the father, Joffrey is a Lannister" Arya said slowly, as if she thought that her sister was stupid.

"Joffrey is not the father" Sansa said, disgusted by the simple thought.

It was Arya's time to be confused.

"What? But you were betrothed to him..."

"I never married him. He chose another betrothed and married me off to someone else."

It was clear through Arya's expression that she wasn't sure whether if those were good or bad news. Sansa guessed that her sister was probably thinking than any man would be better than Joffrey.

"One of his knights?" Arya asked then, unable to contain her curiosity. "Or a lord?"

"Ser Gregor Clegane."

Arya's face turned green as if she was about to get sick. If that was the case, Sansa wanted to get away from her. But she was lucky, and Arya didn't turn green.

"The Mountain? They made you marry  _him_?! And you want his son  _back_?! You are  _mad_ , leave him!"

"No, Arya, wait, you are not understanding…"

"That's why the Hound is here, right? He wants to find his nephew! I hope he keeps him."

"Arya, Gregor was not the father!" Sansa exclaimed, nearly shouting, and Arya fell silent. "They married me off to him because…! Because Joffrey caught me during… a very  _unladylike_  situation with… with…"

Oh gods, how was she supposed to tell Arya? He sister had been furious just by seeing Sandor there with them, how would she react when she knew the truth?

"With the father of your child" said Arya, and Sansa nodded. Arya frowned. "Sansa, who is he?"

She had to tell Arya, and when she did, her sister was going to explode like Stannis' ships on the night of the battle of Blackwater.

"Who is the father?" Arya asked impatiently.

Sansa took a deep breath. "Sandor."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence full of tension that followed the mention of that name. Arya looked as is she hadn't heard anything, and Sansa thought that maybe her sister believed she was joking. But then Arya's stare turned cold, and disgust was reflected in her eyes.

"Father and mother would be so disappointed" was all she said.

Sansa didn't even know how to react to that. Arya stood up from the chair and walked towards the door of the cabin. Sansa stood up from the bed and grabbed her sister's arm, but Arya shook it violently to get rid of her.

" _Don't touch me_!"

"Arya…"

"I can't believe you did that! I can't believe that you let the Hound fuck you, that you had a child with him! You are as stupid as always, Sansa!"

"Arya, I  _love_  him!"

Arya covered her ears with her hands, not wanting to hear.- Stupid! I'll kill him, I swear I'll kill him!

"He's a good man!"

"He's a murderer! He killed Mycah!"

Sansa closed her eyes. She didn't want to argue with her sister, not after getting her back. She knew that Arya was stubborn, and so she had to be patient with her.

"I know, Arya, but you need to understand. He had to do it. And he saved me, isn't that important to you? He has saved me countless times, and  _he loves me_. Don't you care that he loves your sister?"

Arya opened her mouth to say something, but she seemed to reconsider it. Maybe she had finally realized that Sansa was right. Though that didn't mean that she had given up arguing with her sister.

"I can't believe that you fell in love with him."

"I couldn't help it. I finally realized how he really was inside, I saw beyond the burns and everything else. He's better than all the others."

"But…"

"I'm not saying that he hasn't done terrible things. I'm just saying that I know why he did them, and I understand him. I know him better than anyone, Arya, you have to trust me."

Finally, Arya seemed to give up. "I'll help you getting him back. Ned. He is a Stark, after all."

Sansa sighted in relief, glad to have her sister's support. Arya didn't have any power that could help them, but she was family, and her support meant the world to Sansa. She got up from her bed and ran to hug Arya; her sister returned her the hug.

"I'm so happy to see you again" Sansa admitted, feeling a little bit of the hole inside her being filled up.

"Me too..." also admitted. "But don't you think for a second that I will like the Hound!"

Sansa couldn't help but laugh. Oh, stubborn little Arya...

* * *

The voyage in the ship was peaceful, but very long. Sansa didn't mind the first days, expending her days walking on the deck admiring the beautiful sea and the morning lights in the horizon that turned the sky a bright orange, and the sunsets that turned it pink and purple and red. She spent hours with her siblings, telling each other stories of the time they had spent apart. She also spent time with Gilly and Ygritte, becoming friends with the wilding girls. Gilly was easier to talk to, and Sansa tried to teach her needlework so that she could sew beautiful embroidery for her baby's clothes; Ygritte was friendlier with Arya, being more alike to the tomboy, but still she was good with Sansa. She asked a lot of questions while she explored everything the world had to offer, away from her side of the Wall. Sansa had convinced the girl to dress herself with a pretty green dress that matched her eyes and suited her hair. She seemed a totally different girl in it, almost feminine and delicate. Jon spilled the ale he had been drinking when he saw her, and Sandor laughed and patted him in the back so that he wouldn't choke.

And of course, almost all of her time Sansa spent with Sandor. She loved to wake up next to him every morning, and she fell asleep every night with his arms around her. She almost never had nightmares, and when she did, Sandor was at her side to wake her up and calm her down.

"Hush, little bird, hush" he whispered one night, when she had woken up crying and covered in cold sweat. "It's not real, Sansa. Listen to me, it's not real..."

"It was... it was real once" she said. Her nightmares were always memories. One night it was Joffrey taking Ned away, another one it was Ser Ilyn bringing his sword down on Sandor's head... This time it was Gregor, hitting her and trying to burn her belly with the red hot poker. "I don't understand... Why is it affecting me now? I was strong when I was there, I didn't cry, I fought back. I was strong. Why am I scared now?"

"Steel can only bend so much before it breaks."

"I'm not broken" she hissed, angry at those words.

"I know, little bird, I know. You are just hurt. You need to heal. I understand you better than anyone, Sansa, it takes time."

She cuddled against him. she felt safe there, comfortably pressed against his warm skin, surrounded by his big and heavily muscled arms. If only they could stay like that forever...

"Do you think we are crazy?" she then asked, waking Sandor up for the second time that night.

"Huh? Well, according to all the rest of those buggering idiots, we are. A bird and a dog, who would have thought it? We are definitely mad!"

Sansa giggled, and played with her fingers over Sandor's chest.

"I meant... Trying to get the Dragon Queen on our side. It does sound crazy to me."

Sandor shrugged.

"I don't see why she wouldn't help us once she returns to Westeros. Sure, your father was a major pain in the ass to her father, and my brother was a fucking bastard, as per usual. But we are not guilty for our family's crimes, as Ned is not guilty for our crime."

"What is our crime?" Sansa wanted to know.

There was a long silence before Sandor said:

"The crime of love."

Sansa didn't respond, she knew Sandir was right. Their love had been a crime, forbidden, unholy... It was in that silence that Sandor laughed.

"Bugger me with a hot poker, did I just say that?! Seven fucking hells, Sansa, I am turning into one of those old bloody fools like those from the songs you like so much!"

"Well, it suits you to speak like an old bloody fool" Sansa joked, and Sandor stroked her bare skin with his calloused hand. "What are we going to do when we go back to Westeros?"

Again, Sandor shrugged and sighted.

"Well, first, we take you back to Winterfell. We'll get it rebuilt, so that you can have your home back. We could get married" he said matter-of-factly. "Who knows, we could have a big family? Maybe have a few more babies, some that look like you."

"No" Sansa said, a little bit violently. Sandor shot her a questioning glance. "I don't want more babies. I already have one. He is the only child I want."

Sandor didn't mention babies again, not wanting to anger the little bird, but he did imagine what their children would look like. For what Sansa had told him, Ned had his hair and her eyes. Maybe his siblings would be the opposite, or even better, they would look exactly like Sansa. She was beautiful, and every child born to her had to be beautiful too. But he was nervous enough having only one child that he didn't even know yet, so he was perfectly fine with her decision of not wanting any more.

"How has Arya been treating you?" the little bird wanted to know then.

Sandor grinned. "I'm still afraid that one night she'll try to rip my balls off while I sleep!"

And Sandor fell asleep happy, listening to his little bird's laugher.

* * *

And finally, after long weeks of travelling by sea and waiting, the ship arrived in Meereen. As soon as the captain told them, Sansa ran to the deck of the ship to admire the views of the city from afar. Her breath was taken away when she witnessed the enormous pyramid, surrounded by smaller ones. At her side, her brother Jon also looked upon the city, but his expression was shadowed by a feeling that Sansa could not identify. Right then she didn't care.

"It's beautiful" she said. She knew that she hadn't travelled to enjoy her stay at the city, but still, she couldn't stop herself from admiring its undeniable beauty.

Once the ship made it to the port, they all got off it after thanking the captain for taking them. The city was surrounded by tall walls, and armed men could be seen everywhere guarding the city. The armed men opened the city gates for them, after making sure that they were not a threat for the city.

 _What city worries about human threats when they have three dragons to defend it_? Sansa wondered.

They were already inside the city. The streets were built with colorful bricks, and Sam, Ygritte and Gilly sated everywhere in awe, but Sandor, Jon and Sansa stayed focused. They had work to do.

"How are we going to see the Queen?" Sandor asked Jon.

"She will receive us" he assured them all, not bothering to give any further explanations. They started walking through the streets, and Sansa held Sandor's strong hand in hers, seemed for his support. She was starting to feel more nervous than ever in her life.

 _This is it_ she thought _. This is my last chance to get my son back..._

Jon had ordered Sam to send a raven while they were on the ship, to ask for a meeting with the Mother of Dragons upon their arrival on Meereen. A small party of the soldiers went to fetch them at the city gates and led them silently to the huge pyramid that Sansa had admired from afar.

"Arya, keep quiet, alright?" she had asked to her sister, knowing how much the tomboy girl liked to speak her mind uncourteously. Sansa didn't want anything to go wrong, and Arya agreed.

Once they were in the pyramid, they didn't have to wait long until the Mother of Dragons arrived, accompanied by a young girl and an older man that both Sansa and Sandor immediately recognized as Ser Barristar Selmy.

"Clegane?" Selmy asked, confused by the presence of the Hound in that place.

"The fuck you doing here?" Sandor rasped. Sansa would have hit him. The first time that he opened his mouth in front of their only hope and he was already cursing and being uncourteous!

"I'm a member of the Queensguard of the true Queen."

"Ser Barristan, would you mind the introductions?" Daenerys asked then, ending the rough conversation between both men. Daenerys Targaryen was one of the most beautiful women any of them had ever seen, his silvery hair and violet eyes. Sansa would have felt envy if it wasn't because through the corner of her eyes she could see that Sandor didn't seemed even a little bit impressed. He only had eyes for his little bird, and that secretly pleased Sansa

The elderly knight nodded.

"My apologies, Khaleesi" he said before turning to the small party of travellers from Westeros. "You are in the presence of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, of the Old Valyria, Mother of Dragons, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Dothrali Sea and Breaker of Chains."

After the endless list of titles, they all bowed their heads in sign of respect. Ser Barristan continued with the presentations.

"Khaleesi, I present to you Lady Sansa Stark of Winterfell, her sister Lady Arya Stark, Lord Samwell Tarly, Lord Sandor Clegane, and Jon Snow" then he turned to Gilly and Ygritte. "I don't believe I have the pleasure of knowing you, miladies..."

"We're not ladies" Ygritte said as soon as he said that. "I'm Ygritte, and she's Gilly."

Ser Barristan bowed his head, and Daenerys examined all of them with her eyes, with especial interest in Sansa, Arya and Sandor.

"Are you the daughters of Lord Stark, the man who helped the Usurper steal the throne of my family?" she asked softly. It was the softness in her voice that made it sound dangerous. "And you, Lord Clegane... Your surname sounds very familiar, and I have to add that it's  _not_  in a pleasant way."

It was perfectly clear that she knew all of what Gregor had done to her goodsister and nephew, and she clearly did not appreciate the presence of any of them there, but she also seemed willing to listen to whatever they had to say.

"Why have you travelled so far?"

"Your Grace, we have come to..." Sansa started saying. She took a deep breath. "To ask you... Implore you... To return to Westeros."

"That is my intention, someday."

"We need you now."

Daenerys understood.

"You need my help" it wasn't a question. "Why would I help an Usurper and their friends? Lady Stark, not only did your father fight against my family, but your brother is an Usurper himself, calling himself the King in the North."

"Robb is dead" Arya hissed, forgetting what Sansa had told her before about staying silent. "Sansa is the Queen now!"

"Quiet, Arya!" Sansa ordered. Arya shot daggers through her eyes before doing as told. "Robb took the North away from the Lannisters and King Joffrey, not from you. I will return it to you, your Grace, once you go back to Westeros. The Northeners will not rebel against you for as long as I live, I swear to you."

She was desperate. It was being more difficult than she expected. Even though Daenerys was only two years older than her, she was still intimidating.

 _I am Sansa Stark, a wolf of Winterfel. I have suceeded in more difficult situations, I will succeed now_  she thought to herself.

"Also" Jon suddenly said, in a tone that seemed to give away that he was having a very difficult time getting to speak, for unknown reasons "maybe you'll be more willing to help us... because I'm asking you."

They were all immediately confused by his words, and all heads turned to loom at him. Daenerys raised her eyebrows. They were incredibly expressive eyebrows.

"And why would I be more willing to do what a bastard told me?" she asked with bold curiosity.

"Because I'm not a bastard" Jon said, summoning all his courage. He tool the letter that Mormont and Maester Aemon had given him back at the Wall, and showed it to Daenerys. "My real name is Jon Targaryen, son of Prince Rhaegar and Lady Lyanna Stark. I... I am your nephew."

Sansa and Arya gasped. All eyes were on Jon, who explained to Daenerys how Lord Eddard had found Lady Lyanna, his mother, dying of a fever shortly after he was born. How she had made him promise that he would take care of Jon and keep him safe. And how Lord Eddard Stark had stained his honor keeping that promise, telling everyone that Jon was his own bastard son so that Robert Baratheon wouldn't kill the babe.

"That's not possible" Daenerys whispered after Jon was done telling the story, and she turned to Ser Barristan for advice. The man took in his hand the letter that Jon was handing him, the same letter that was given to him by Lord Momont and Maester Aemon. The knight of the Queensquard read the letter carefully, studying it, and finally he looked at Daenerys.

"It is true" was all he said.

Daenerys sure trusted the man, because she didn't call him a liar, or said that what they were telling her was impossible. She turned to stare at Jon, her only living family member, and for once allowed the bold façade that she kept as Queen and Khaleesi to fade away. She walked towards Jon and hugged him.

 _She is just another girl forced to grow up very fast_  Sansa thought, seeing the reaction of the Mother of Dragons after finding out that she wasn't alone in the world, that there was another Targaryen whom she could call her family.

Sansa watched Jon as the Queen embraced him, afraid that he might not react nicely. But after a moment of hesitation he also hugged Daenerys tightly.

_He already knows who he is…_

Daenerys stepped away from Jon to take a better look at him. They looked so different! Him with his black hair and grey Stark eyes, and her with silver hair and violet eyes. Daenerys cupped Jon's face with her eyes.

 _She must have known a lot of loss, just like me, to react like this to the sudden apparition of a new family member_  Sansa realized.

At her side, Arya was still shocked, and she looked worried. Sansa knew what she was thinking. Was Jon going to cease being their brother? Maybe he would in name, but not in their hearts.

"Jon" Daenerys whispered, as if that was the most wonderful word in the world. Then she looked at Sansa and Arya, the two true Starks "I guess that... the Targaryens do owe the Starks a big favor, miladies. Please, tell me the reason why you need me to return to the Seven Kingdoms."

That was it. Sansa's opportunity was right there!

"The Lannisters hold the Iron Throne now" she said, keeping her head high and her voice clear, like a real lady. "They have committed many crimes. The king is the product of incest between the Queen and the Kingslayer. Joffrey is a monster. He killed my father, tormented and abused me, and he took my newborn son away. Our son" she added, taking Sandor's hand in hers again and squeezing it. Daenerys didn't seem to find anything shocking about that, contrary to Ser Barristan.

"Seven hells" he cursed. "You and Lord Stark's son, dog? Really?"

"We love each other" Sansa hissed, while Sandor kept silent.

"I understand the pain that you must have endured" Daenerys said then. "My husband was taken away from me, as so was my son Rhaego. He was murdered inside my womb."

Sansa could not help but cover her belly with her hand when she heard that, just as she always did when she was pregnant. She was horrified.

"I am so sorry, your Grace..." she whispered, unable to find words to describe her horror towards such an evil act.

"Don't worry, Lady Stark. And I promise that you will have your son back soon. I have my army, and I have my ships. Soon, everything will be ready for me to take back the Seven Kingdoms and the Iron Throne, and then the Lannisters will pay."

Sansa let out a long breath of relief, and smiled. Sandor put his arm around her body to keep her close to him, also happy to hear those words coming out of the Targaryen Queen's mouth. Daenerys stared back and Jon and smiled at him, and then at all the others.

"Missandei will show you to your chambers, I want you all to be as comfortable as possible until we part for Westeros. It shouldn't be long before that." Before leaving, she looked one last time at her nephew. "I'll look for you later. I want to know everything about you, it that's alright."

Jon nodded and Daenerys smiled, and then she left with Ser Barristan, who looked more stunned than ever in his life. Jon walked back to the group and stopped by Ygritte's side.

"So you're a King now?" she said, somehow mockingly.

"No. Just the nephew of the Queen of the Iron Throne and the cousin of the Queen in the North" he chuckled before kissing her.

"But you are still our brother" Arya said then, a little bit with disbelief. "Wont you?"

Jon looked at her with tender eyes. "Our course I will" he said, hugging her.

A girl, Missandei, took them to their chambers. As always, Sansa and Sandor shared one. It was an enormous room, with a huge bedroom and luxuries all over the place. Once the doors were closed and they were left alone, Sansa circled around herself, feeling happier than ever.

"We did it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. "We are getting our son back, Sandor! We are getting Ned back! And then we will be a family!"

"Aye, little bird, we will" he said, taking her and raising her above the floor in his arms. She laughed, and it warmed his heart to hear that delicious sound. He circled around himself then, not letting go of Sansa at any moment, and she kept laughing harder and harder. Finally, he put her down so she wouldn't get dizzy. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "You look beautiful, little bird."

"That's because I'm happy!" she exclaimed with a big smile on her face. She kissed him, taking Sandor by surprise, and her hands slipped beneath his shirt.

"You've got fire in you" he moaned against her mouth, and Sansa giggled. She broke the kiss and pulled the shirt off Sandor, leaving his powerful and heavenly muscled hairy chest bare. She traced with her hands the lines of the muscles and kissed his skin, sending shivers full of pleasure all over Sandor's body. Then Sansa pushed him against the wall. Sandor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Seven hells, girl!"

Sansa threw herself at him, kissing him wildly, and Sandor kissed her back fiercely. His hands lifted her skirt and he grabbed her legs, lifting her again from the floor. She put her legs around himself waist and entangled her fingers in his hair. Their tongues engaged in a passionate and breathless dance.

"Yuck!" Arya exclaimed, disgusted, from the door. She had come to talk to her sister, andhad found that spectacle instead. "Seven hells!"

She quickly closed the doors again and ran away. After a moment of silence, both Sandorand Sansa laughed hysterically. Not minding to mention or care for the little interruption, Sandor walked towards the bed and threw Sansa on it, immediately following her.

They forgot themselves between the silk sheets in a wild game of passion, desire and love.

* * *

It was three days later that Daenerys called for them, and also for Jon and Arya. She led them to a closed fighting pit. They all wondered what was the reason for that little tour.

"I want to show you the key for our victory" the young Queen said, before opening the gates to the pit.

Once she did so, the first thing they all heard was a loud and powerfull roar, which wasfollowed by a storm of fire. It didn't hit them, but they felt the incredible and suffocating heat. Sansa saw Sandor from the corner of her eye: he had backed several steps, looking at the interior of the fighting pit with a fear greater than any other he had ever faced, a fear greater than the one he felt while seeing the green wildfire at the Battle of Blackwater.

"Dragons."


	15. I've Come To Burn Your Kingdom Down

They saw the three beasts: one of a creamy color, a green one, and a black one. Viseryon, Rhaegal, and Drogon. The last one was the biggest and also the one that scared them all the most. When he opened his jaws, a jet of black fire came out of them. Everyone felt the heat, and Sandor jumped backwards. Sansa turned around to face him, hearing his fastened and heavy breathing.

"Are you alright, my love?" she asked sweetly, closing the distance between them and cupping his face with her hands. However, Sandor didn't look down at her, he could not take his eyes wide with terror from the dragons.

"I can't..." he mumbled, shaking his head. "I can't..."

She understood, so she nodded, letting him know that it was alright if he wanted to go. Sandor walked away, not even stopping to say good bye. Sansa would have gone with him, she wanted to be always by his side, but she couldn't. She needed to stay there and see with her own eyes the dragons that would get her revenge with the Lannisters, and also, her son back.

Daenerys had noticed the way in which Sandor had panicked and walked away. Judging by her expression, it was pretty obvious that she too understood his behavior.

"What burned him?" she asked, referring to his scarred face.

"A beast" was all Sansa said, but it seemed a good enough answer for Daenerys. Sansa was the only one that knew the truth behind Sandor's burns, and it wasn't her place to tell anyone else. Besides, what she had said was true. Gregor Clegane had been no more than a savage, bloodthirsty beast.

She set her blue eyes on the dragons again, fascinated by their beauty. They were magnificent creatures. They were splendid in every way, and in some ways, Sansa wished she could be one of them. They had wings that took them from one place to another whenever they wanted, and they just had to open they powerful jaws to kill their enemies with a shower of fire. Just one little movement, and they were all dead.

Sansa frowned. When had this fascination of hers with killing started? it kind of scared her. Where was the little girl that had gone South with her head full of songs of knights and fair maidens, the proper little lady with courteous manners?

That girl was dead, replaced by a woman. Once Sansa realized that, she didn't feel scared about her new thoughts anymore. She had grown up, and somehow, she felt powerful.

 _You are not so different from the dragons_  a little voice in the back of her head said. Her mind was filled with images of Gregor burning, screaming in agony as his flesh turned black and melted away. It was an horrific memory, but a faint smile appeared on the corner of Sansa's lips anyways.

_I'll do the same thing to the Lannisters. No one will ever hurt me again, nor will they hurt anyone I love._

Something curious happened then. One of the dragons, the green one, stopped roaring and set his eyes on them. On Jon, more specifically. The boy didn't look away, and he held the beast's stare. Suddenly, the dragon started walking on his four legs, to we're they we're standing. Sansa and Arya backed away, in case the dragons decided to breathe fire on them, but that didn't happen. The dragon stopped at mere steps from them, still looking at Jon. He then lowered his enormous green head, stopping within Jon's reach. Jon raised his arm and caressed the beast's scales with his hand. At his side, Daenerys smiled.

"He likes you" she whispered. "This one is Rhaegal. He is named after my brother... Your father."

Jon kept caressing Rhaegal's dark green scales, with an intense brightness in his eyes. After a few moments, Rhaegal threw his head back and went back with his brothers.

"How are we going to take them into King's Landing?" Jon asked.

Daenerys's smile became wider.

"Isn't it obvious? We ride them, of course."

Sansa had never seen Arya so happy. Her face lightened up in a second, and she looked like a little girl with a new toy. Before Sansa could tell her to behave, Arya had already spoken.

"Can I ride one of them?!"

"Arya!"

Daenerys's smile didn't fade. "We will talk about it when the time comes. Now, why don't all of you go to your chambers? you shall get ready, we have a long trip ahead of us."

That caught Sansa's attention. Daenerys saw that, and again, she smiled.

"We are leaving for King's Landing. Tonight."

Then she left without saying anything else, and the gates to the pit below the Great Pyramid were closed, locking the dragons in again. Sansa left after Daenerys, running through the tunnel all the way back above ground, and then she raced through the pyramid to her chambers. The doors were closed, and she opened then, finding Sandor inside, asleep on the bed. It was just like on the night of the Battle, when he had seen the wildfire and then went to Sansa's chambers. He had fallen asleep on her bed then too.

Feeling amused, and thinking that Sandor looked so tender when he was asleep, Sansa walked over to the bed. She laid down next to Sandor, and entertained herself by looking at Sandor's face. At some point, he must have woken up without her noticing, but he did notice her staring at him.

"Quit staring at me" he rasped, wrinkling his nose, and Sansa giggled.

"Now, why would I do that?" she asked playfully, closing the distance between them and kissing Sandor's lips. Right after she did that he lifted his arm and put his hand on her back, pulling her closer to him. "Are you better now?" Sansa asked when the kiss ended.

"Aye. Buggering dragons, with their fucking fire... I'm sorry if I embarrassed you back there, little bird."

"You have nothing to feel sorry about" she assured him. "It's not your fault, and I can understand it. It's perfectly normal."

"I just hope that those buggering beasts know how to burn those seven-times-damned Lannister men to ashes. I won't have anything against them if they do."

"Well, you'll be able to check that quite soon. We are leaving for King's Landing" as soon as he heard that, Sandor opened his grey eyes wide. "Tonight."

"What the fuck?! And you are telling me now?!" Sandor jumped right out of the bed, leaving a laughing Sansa there. He started walking all around the room, picking up his sword and scabbard and cloak. He seemed almost more impatient than Sansa was. She wasn't on a hurry to lack all her things, for she had kept everything organized everyday, ready to leave as soon as she was told to. She had been ready for that day for months, really.

The night didn't seem to arrive fast enough. Everybody was ready when the time to go to the ships came. They were all going to go in the same ship as Daenerys, leading all of the others in which the Queen's army, the Unsullied. Three more ships were going to sail next to the Khaleesi's, and each one of them was going to carry a dragon. They didn't have enough space for them anywhere else, and the dragons couldn't fly the whole time, they needed to rest and be controlled. If Sandor felt nervous by the thought of sailing so close to the fire-breathing beast, he was doing a good job hiding it. Sansa felt proud of him.

Arya was making quite a fuss. She insisted that she wanted to go in one of the ships with the dragons.

"Arya, I told you already, no!" her older sister said for the thousand time.

"But I want to go with them, I want to see them!"

"No, Arya, it's dangerous. You'll see them when they fly!"

"I want to ride one of them when we sack the city!"

"No, that you won't."

Arya's stubbornness amused Daenerys, Jon and Ygritte.

"She has the soul of a warrior, this one" she commented. It seemed to please the younger Stark girl.

"I have killed before! I was training in the House of Black and White before I found my sister in Braavos!"

Sansa didn't like that. She didn't like that her sister had killed people, she was so young! And she certainly didn't like at all the path that she had chosen when she was alone. Had she not found Arya in the Free City, she dreaded what could have happened with her sister. Sansa had wanted Arya to stay in Meereen for safety, and also Gilly and her baby. But in the end what had been decided was that before attacking King's Landing, they would go to another ship that would stay behind all of the others. They would be safe there. Sandor also wanted Sansa to stay in that ship, but she had been angered at the simple mention of the ridiculous idea.

"They have my son. All of this, what I've done, has been for him. I'm not going to stay behind, I want to see the Lannisters die with my own eyes" there hadn't been any further discussions about it.

Ygritte was also going to participate in the attack. Jon had been training her in the art of sword fighting. As the girl was already a warrior at the other side of the Wall, it didn't take a lot of effort to teach her how to handle almost all of the weapons that could be found at the other side of it. Set Barristan Selmy also found time sometimes to teach her a thing or two, and also to Arya.

When the ships finally sailed, Sansa did feel nervous. She felt like her tummy was full of butterflies, and her knees were shaking. Sandor noticed it, and hugged her from behind.

"It will all be alright" he said, pressing his lips against her neck. Sansa loved the feeling.

"I know it will. It just that... I have waited a very long time for this. I want you to meet our son!"

Sandor felt like as if a hand was squeezing his heart inside his chest. His son. He had heard the little bird talking about him so many times that he felt like he knew him. He winched he did. He could picture him perfectly in his mind: black hair like his, perfect little hand and feet with tiny fingers and toes, rosy plump cheeks, and huge blue eyes. The eyes were the thing that Sandor could picture more clearly, because he knew that they were exactly like Sansa's. He loved her eyes, he could get lost in them. He had memorized every detail of them, and each time that he pictured his son in his mind, those Tully blue eyes were there first thing that he saw. He was dying to be able to finally meet Eddard Clegane.

"How old is he already?" he asked.

"I guess that by the time that we get there, he will already be almost a year old" Sansa said. "So we will be lucky, we will get to celebrate his first nameday together!"

Sandor felt incredibly happy seeing his little bird so exited, but he was also nervous. Many things could go wrong, but he dared not say them out loud. He didn't want to break his little bird's dreams, she had already suffered much. He tried to think positively: the Lannisters didn't know they were coming. They didn't know how to defend themselves from three almost fully grown dragons. Maybe, those three beasts would be even bigger and fiercer by the time they arrived at King's Landing, who knew? Besides, Aegon and his sisters had managed to conquer Seven Kingdoms with only their dragons, why couldn't Daenerys conquer a city with three dragons and an army?

It wasn't an easy voyage, no. Of all the three ships that they had taken in the last month or so, that one was the biggest, yes, but that didn't make it any better when they had to sail through thunderstorms. A specially severe one hit them while they were sailing around old Valyria. They were going that way in order to avoid the Smoking Sea; many bad things could be heard from that place. Luckily, they didn't lose any ships or men.

"The gods want us to win this battle" Sandor heard Ser Barristan say one day. For once in his life, he didn't scoff at the mention of the gods. For now, everything was going according to their plans, and that was more that they could have expected at the beginning. Sandor had started believing a little bit more in the gods ever since he was reunited with his little bird.

They could see the shores of the destroyed nations from where they were. Daenerys was on the deck, looking at her mother country with a solemn expression in her face. The place was in ruins, yet if inflicted kind of a sense of respect in everybody. All the way from the other three ships, the cries and roars of the dragons could be heard. It was almost as if they could sense the place where they ancestors had been born.

"Look at that, Khaleesi" Ser Barristan said, pointing at the destroyed Valyria. "Not all glory can last forever."

"Well, then it should be a perfect example for the Lannisters, don't you think?" she said, putting a smile on the knight's face, and also on Sandor's.

 _The girl's got wits_  he thought.

When they arrived in the Narrow Sea, they had to stop in the Free Cities to get food and supplies, for they had begun to be scarce. Besides, they all needed to walk a little bit on solid ground. But Daenerys didn't want to linger longer than necessary there, so they sailed immediately after all their needs were taken care of. That was when everybody really started to get nervous.

It didn't take them as long to cross the Narrow Sea. They had to slow their pace in the end, because they wanted it to be a surprise attack at night. While they waited, Sansa went to see Daenerys.

"Just promise me one thing" she had said, and the Khaleesi had listened. "That Joffrey and Cersei are mine."

Daenerys nodded. "I find it just. Now, come with me. We must get ready."

Daenerys's dragons had been set free, and they where roaming the skies above them, not to far away so that they wouldn't be seen by the guards in the walls at King's Landing. Daenerys summoned to her presence Sandor, Jon, Arya, and Ygritte, with whom she had become good friends. Both were fierce women.

"The time has come, my friends" she said. "I know what a long trip and what a long wait it has been for you. Believe me, it has been longer for me. But we do share interests in this battle, and for that, I thought it would be best if you ride with me by my side.

The first one to react was Jon.

"What?"

"I have three dragons. I can only ride one" Daenerys said. "You are a Targaryen. Like our ancestors before us, we will ride side by side."

Daenerys looked up to the skies. The deck had been clear to let space for the dragons to land there. She called for Rhaegal, and the green dragons descended upon them. Jon's direwolf, Ghost, who had been with the, the whole time, ran to his master's side. Jon kneeled before him and caressed him behind the ears.

"You know what to do, Ghost."

It seemed the direwolf did. It stood still while Jin walked towards Rhaegal and jumped on its back. Sansa looked at his brother -cousin!- and thought that he looked like a true king, riding the green beast.

Jon looked at Ygritte, and extended his hand to her. She smiles and jumped behind him on the dragon. Rhaegal roared, and took flight. Daenerys then called for Viseryon. The cream colored dragon landed on the deck where his brother had stood moments ago.

"Sansa"

The girl looked at the Khaleesi, startled.

"Me, your Grace?"

"It is also your war, after all."

Sansa looked at Sandor. His face was white. She couldn't tell him to ride with her! But it seemed that Daenerys had thought of that too.

"Your horse is saddled, Lord Clegane, and I have a gift for you." the captain of her Unsullied, Grey Worm, walked over towards them. He was carrying a helm in his hands, in the shape of a snarling dog. It was very similar to the one that Sandor thad worn before, the helm that he had lost after being sentenced to the Wall, yet it was very different. Sansa wasn't scared of this helm, but she did feel respect upon looking at it.

"The Hound might be dead, but the Lannisters don't know that" Daenerys said, and everyone thought that they could see Sandor smiling as he took the helm from the Unsullied's hands.

Sansa kissed him before walking over to the dragon. She was intimidated, but she knew that no harm would be done to her. She climbed to the dragon's back, and then looked at her sister. Arya had never been more jealous in her life.

"Care to join me for a ride, Arya?" Sansa asked, grinning. She didn't have to say it twice; in less than a second, Arya was already behind her, and Viseryon had taken flight up to the skies, with both Stark girls on his back.

A year ago, Sansa would have screamed and probably fallen from the dragon. But now, she felt liberated.

 _I'm flying_ she thought. _I'm flying!_

She wasn't a little bird with her wings cut off anymore. She was a little bird, yes, but she was free. And more than anything, she was ready to show the Lannisters what she was made of. They flew next to Jon and Ygritte on their green dragon. Then, Daenerys joined them, riding Drogon alone. Together, the three dragons roared, waking the city up.

The bells of siege started sounding in King's Landing. It was exactly like how it had been when Stannis had stacked, only that now Sansa was attacking, instead of just standing behind a window inside the Red Keep, hiding from the battle. Also, this time the Lannisters wouldn't win. They had no chance.

They allowed the ships to arrive before. With no warning of a battle, the king hadn't had time to prepare his ships or his men. They had no defense. From the air, Sansa could see how the Unsullied sacked the city, killing the Lannister men and the gold cloaks. She was sure that she could see Sandor's black destrier Stranger, with her beloved riding it and

bringing his sword on all the enemies with no mercy. It was only after all of King's Landing soldier were on the streets that the dragons attacked.

There were panicked screams all over the place when people saw Daenerys's dragons. They ran, locking themselves and hiding in their homes. Daenerys didn't want to harm the innocent people, but she did set her dragons lose on the soldiers.

"DRACARYS!" she shouted in High Valyrian, and the three dragons spit fire.

It was worse than on the night of the Blackwater. The city was burning with fire of all colors. Drogon's flame was black, and it set chaos lose on the city. Then they flew to the Red Keep. They surrounded it multiple times, not doing anything, just flying around. But then the dragons spit their flames on the soldiers and guards in the battlements. Sansa watched the Kingsguard burn.

"WINTERFELL!" her sister was shouting at her back. "WINTERFELL!"

There was fire everywhere. Screams were heard everywhere. The Unsullied entered the Red Keep, along with the Dothraki and Sandor and Ser Barristan. The sound of swords clashing raised up to the skies, where the dragons were.

The battle was brief. As Sansa had guessed before, the Lannisters had no chance. In a matter of minutes, all their men were dead, either killed by the sword of burned by dragon fire. Daenerys made Drogon's land in front of the gates of the Red Keep, and Viseryon and Rhaegal landed by her side. The Khaleesi, Jon, Ygritte, Sansa and Arya got off the dragons back and entered the castle. It was chaos inside. There were Unsullied everywhere, and also corpses with white and red cloaks. As soon as he saw Sansa, Sandor ran towards her. He had a cut on his cheek.

"Little bird!" he rasped, and she hugged him. They had won! but it wasn't over yet.

Daenerys walked over to the Throne room. King Joffrey's court was reunited there, as they had nowhere else to go. They had thought they would be safe there. Idiots. They all looked at Daenerys in awe and in terror, and she stopped before them, setting her eyes for the first time on the throne of her family.

"I am Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, of the blood of Old Valirya. I am the Dragons's Daunghter, Khaleesi of the Dothraki, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains. I am the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, the rightful Queen. Your Queen."

For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Then, one by one, all the nobles and people of the court started kneeling in front of their Queen. Daenerys walked forward, and sat on the Iron Throne. It was done. The war was over, and the Dragon Queen had won.

But it still wasn't over.

"Where is Joffrey?" Sansa asked, seeing that he was not there. Was he dead? He could not be, she needed him.

"Let's go find him" Sandor said, taking her hand and taking her out of the throne room. They walked all the way over to the kimg's chambers, it was the only place where he could be.

When they arrived, the doors were closed, and Sansa's heart was on her throat. She was so close, so close...

They opened the doors and rushed into the room.

"Ned!" Sansa gasped, before looking around.

But Joffrey wasn't there, nor Cersei...

...And neither was Ned.


	16. Dig Up Her Bones, But Leave Her Soul Alone.

Sansa was hysterical. She had looked all around the castle, in every single little corner, no matter how hidden or dark it was. Had it been possible, Sandor was convinced the little bird would have torn apart the castle walls and lifted the floor stone by stone in order to find Joffrey, Cersei, and Ned.

But they were nowhere to be found.

Now Sansa was back in her old chambers, the ones where Sandor had run to during the Battle of Blackwater. She was pacing from one side of the room to the other, and not even Sandor could calm her down. He, too, was feeling angry and impatient. He was covered in blood, though most of it wasn't his. A maid had arrived then, sent by the new Queen. She was quite scared because of the recent events, and eyed both of them with fear. However, she managed to ask if there was anything they wanted. The simple question served to enrage Sandor even more.

"Yes, there is something that I fucking well want. Information! Where is that fucking bastard?! I swore I would choke him with his own intestines!" he barked, making the maid tremble with fear. Sansa was just next to the window, biting get own nails, not caring about Sandor's manners anymore.

"I-I don't know who you are ta-talking about, m'lord..." the maid said.

"You bloody well know who I'm talking about! The golden little shit Joffrey! Where is his royal arse?!"

The maid blinked several times rapidly.

"M'lord? You don't know?"

"Know what?!" he barked. The burnt side of his face was twitching in an unpleasant way, making the maid lower her gaze.

"The King died some time ago, m'lord poisoned at his own wedding feast. They say the Imp did it, that's why he dissapeared."

"No!" Sansa's horrified gasp made both Sandor and the made turn to look at her. Her redened eyes were wide open. "No no no no no, he can't be dead. He can't! He took my son, I need to find him!"

"Sansa..."

"He is going to give me my son back, and then... Then I'm going to kill him with my own hands."

Sandor knew that she was speaking the truth. She was very much capable of doing such a thing, she had already proven it. But the bad thing was, he didn't believe that the maid was lying. He just had to look at her to know that she was worse than the little bird had ever been at lying.

"Are you speaking the truth, girl?"

The young maid nodded. "Yes, m'lord, I would never dare lie to you. You can ask anyone, there were hundreds of witnesses. The king's face turned purple, and they say he clawed at his own flesh, trying to open his throat to breathe."

_So the little shit got poisoned, is that it?_

"And Cersei? Where the fuck is that cunt?" They still had a chance if they could find the former Queen regent...

...But again, their hopes were crushed.

"The Queen... I'm sorry, Lady Lannister left King's Landing today... Along with her son, the King- I mean, Lord Tommen."

Sansa snapped. Furious, she slammed her fists on the wall. Sandor ran to her, alarmed, and he saw blood on her hands. He tried to take them in between his and have a look at the wound, but Sansa hissed and walked away from him, looking at the maid as if she was about to tear her eyes out.

"Being me Varys! I want all of them here! The Spider, Pycelle, Littlefinger!" she shouted. "I want all the Lannisters left in King's Landing here! Right. NOW!"

The maid ran away from the room, frightened and tryin to hurry to do what Sansa comanded. Sansa was about to break down, and Sandor felt it. He made her sit down on the bed, and he kneeled in front of her.

"Little bird, everything is going to be alright..."

"No, it's not, Sandor, it's not..." she sobbed, burying her face in her bleeding hands. It pained Sandor deeply to see his little bird like that. He wished he could dig Joffrey out of his grave and kill him, kill him a thousand times over, until there was nothing left of him. Not even dust. "We waited too long. They took him away, forever."

"Sansa..."

"What if they killed him, Sandor? What if... what if Joffrey wanted him to kill him? He told me that I would never see Ned again..."

Sandor froze, and for once he was unable to find any words to try and console Sansa. He knew that Joffrey was perfectly capable of killing infants. He had ordered the murders of all of King Robert's bastard children, events the babes. However, if Ned was dead, Joffrey would have wanted that Sansa were present at that moment. Sandor didn't say that out loud, now wanting to upset Sansa more than she already was.

 _But what about when they thought that Sansa died in the fire that killed my brother?_ Sandor then realized.  _Ned had no use for Joffrey then... He couldn't torture Sansa anymore, and he never told me that I had a son._

Sandor was getting sick, realizing that things were not very favorable for them. However, Sansa stopped sobbing, becoming again the serene, cold and bold woman that he had seen some other times. She looked at him, with reddened blue eyes covered in tears that she was fighting back.

"I need you to do something for me" she whispered, and he listened.

"Anything, little bird."

So she told him, and they waited.

It took half an hour for the men that Sansa had requested to arrive in her chambers. They were exactly the same than the last time that she had seen them, but they all looked both worried and curious. They eyed Sandor, who stood tall and fierce next to the door, all covered in gore and blood from the battle, before they turned their attention to Sansa. They seemed to notice that there was nothing left of the delicate, innocent, scared and stupid little girl that the Lannisters had toyed around with and orphaned.

"Lady Sansa..." it was Littlefinger the first man that spoke, and all of them made a reverence in front of her. They seemed to be startled by the events of that night in King's Landing, and relieved that they were still alive. "It is such a joy to see that you are alive and well. We thought you dead in that terrible fire that killed your husband."

"We-we are sorry for your loss" Grand Maester Pycelle said, provoking Sandor to growl.

_Buggering idiot._

"Don't be sorry. I started the fire" the three men looked at her with eyes wide open once she confessed guilty for the Mountain's murder. Now, they were afraid, and Sandor couldn't help but grin.

"And... why did you want to see us?" Varys asked with caution.

"I want what was taken from me. I'm sure you remember that I was with child the last time that I was here? Before I escaped, that is."

"We do remember, milady" Varys said, nodding his bald head, and then he looked around. At his side, Littefinger and Pycelle eyes Sandor again from the corners of their eyes. "Is the little lord or lady here? I'm sure you didn't bring the child to such an... unpleasant situation. I meant the sacking of the city, of course."

"Do you think that this is funny?" Sansa hissed. Her voice had lost some of it's calm tone, but it was still cold. "Were is he? I want him."

"Want who, Lady Stark?"

"Ned! My son! Where is he?"

Not only Varys, but also Littlefinger and Pycelle seemed confused.

"I'm afraid we do not know the answer to that question, sweet Sansa" Littlefinger said.

Sansa didn't say anything, she just stared at them one by one. Then, she looked at Sandor, and he knew that it was time. Sandor walked over to the door of Sansa's chambers and locked them so that no one could come in, and no one could get out. The three other men stared at him with confusion and then back at Sansa.

"Milady?"

"If you don't tell me where it is, Lord Clegane will have your heads" Sansa muttered loud enough so that they could hear her. "And I'll tell him to chop them off very, very slowly..."

"It will be my pleasure" he rasped at the same time that he took his bloody sword out of his scabbard.

"But- but why? Sansa, I do not understand, we never did anything to you!" Petyr exclaimed, alarmed.

"Gregor found me the same night that my son was born. He sent a raven to Joffrey telling him where I was, and he and his mother took Ned away from me before sending me off to Clegane Keep with my husband" Sansa explained. "I'm sure the arrival of the king with a newborn babe in his arms did not go unnoticed? Or maybe someone from the Kingsguard had him."

"Sansa, there was no baby!"

"King Joffrey left with the Queen and his men to hunt in the Kingswood" Pycelle said, trying to keep his eyes in both Sandor's sword and Sansa's eyes. "For what he heard and what we could see, it was an awful hunting trip. Many men died. King Joffrey had to find many new men to replace most of his Kingsguard. They all died in the woods trying to protect His and Her Grace!"

"No!" Sansa shouted suddenly, startling even Sandor. "That must have been another day! He went to find me, and he took my baby! A black haired boy with my eyes! His name is Ned, Joffrey had him! Cersei must have taken him..."

"Queen Cersei was never seen around any children, milady" Varys said. "It is the truth. There weren't any infants in the castle... And Joffrey never said anything about going to find you. He only commanded your husband to be released from the dungeons, and he sent him to find you. He received a raven telling him that you were safe on your way to Clegane Keep, and that was the last time that news of you reached the Red Keep until the day of your husband's death."

 _What the fuck are they talking about?_ Sandor had always hated liars. He would gut those three fuckers right then, but he couldn't. Why? Because he sense that they weren't lying... He looked at their faces, heard the sound of their voices when they spoke. He knew that they were good liars, yes, but they were not lying in that moment.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

"If you allow me to suggest something, Lady Stark..." the Spider murmured, taking a step towards her. "Maybe you are... mistaken? Maybe something happened to your child..."

"No. Cersei took him from my arms and gave him to Joffrey. I know, I was there!" she was shouting. She wasn't looking at them in the eyes. She was scared, very scared... She started pacing around the room again, like she had before. "He must be here somewhere!  _He has to be_!"

"Milady, sometimes... Sometimes the mind play tricks with us, in moments or weakness..." Pycelle said, getting closer to the girl as Varys had done. "Sometimes, when the truth is too hard, or reality too painful, we believe that things are... different. Our eyes see what they want to se. Or ears hears what they want to hear. We believe that the truth is a different one, more suitable for our poor tortured souls..."

"Are you suggesting that the lady is mad, you old bloody fool?!" Sandor was enraged. He threatened the old maester with his sword, and Pycelle shrank in fear.

"No, Ser, never! I'm just suggesting that her mind... her mind is confused!"

"Fuck your  _Sers_! And fuck yourself with a hot poker, too! Now, where is my son?!"

It was the first time that he had recognized in front of them that he was the father of Sansa's child. It was no secret in the Red Keep, but everybody still found it quite hard to believe. From the corner of his eye, Sandor saw Littlefinger's disgusted expression.

"Milord, what the Grand Maester Pycelle is saying is quite true, I'm afraid" Varys announced. "I have seen some other cases like that, in men and women who have lived through traumatic experiences... And, there is no denying that Lady Sansa has lived through quite a handful of those. The death of her father, the loss of her entire family... Your own, unfortunate fake execution... And, of course, not to mention her husband's constant abuses and beatings... Quite unpleasant, I must say. If I'm correct, the last one was the reason of your escape" he said, looking at Sansa, who didn't say anything. "I wasn't there when they stopped your brother, Lord Clegane, but the sole memory of the tales I heard make my last meal feel unfriendly."

Before he could say anything else, Sandor had grabbed him from the collar of his purple silk gown and had him against the Wall, choking him.

"Say another word, and I'll kill you after I show you all of your intestines" Sandor barked, feeling his blood boiling in his head. He wanted to throw up after imagining just a little bit of what his monster of a brother had done to his precious little bird.

"Sandor, let him go" he heard Sansa say, and he had to make an effort to obey. Varys' face was dark red, and he was trying hard to get his breathing back to normal. He looked quite upset, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do.

"All that Varys was trying to say is that after that harsh pregnancy, Lady Sansa was weak." Littlefinger said after clearing his throat. "And giving birth alone while on the run..."

"It's most likely that the boy died" Pycelle finished the sentence for him.

Sandor felt as if a bucket of ice had fallen on him, but it was Sansa's reaction that was heartbreaking.

"NO!" she screamed. " _YOU ARE LYING! LIARS!_  My son is alive, I know it, I saw him! I nursed him, I had him in my arms, I sang for him! He looked at me, he had my eyes. He had my eyes, he had my eyes, he had my eyes..."

 _She's going mad_  Sandor realized, alarmed. Sansa kept repeating herself, eyes wide staring at the floor while she walked in circles. Sandor went to her side, he tried to take her in his arms. But she screamed and backed away from him.

" _DON'T TOUCH ME!_ "

It took all four men to grab her and put her down on her bed. Pycelle ran out of the room and returned minutes after with potions to call Sansa down and put her to sleep. Sandor, Littlefinger and Varys had had to pin her down to her bed, grabbing her arms and legs to that she wouldn't kick and punch and scratch. Sandor felt like crying. He almost never cried. But it pained him so much to see Sansa like that...

_Little bird..._

He sent everybody out once she was asleep, and he stayed with her, laying down on the bed by her side. He wasn't going to leave her alone, never.

he didn't sleep. He stayed awake, alert to anything that happened, waiting until she woke up. When she did, Sansa cried against his chest, but Sandor held her and consoled her. When Sansa fell asleep again, this time of exhaustion, Sandor left the room. He had to keep looking for Ned, just in case... Maybe those bloody idiots were wrong, or they were lying. Maybe, just maybe, Ned was there,  _somewhere_...

 _He can't be dead_ he thought _. He can't be. Not my son. My little bird can't be crazy._

He found Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, in the Throne Room. He was kneeling before Queen Daenerys, telling her the reason why he killed her father.

_Everybody has secrets here, it seems_

Once Queen Daenerys pardoned him and Jaime swore fealty of the remains of House Lannister to her, Sandor went to face Jaime. Turned out that the golden sister-fucker had no clue were his sister had ran off to. And him, also, had no clue about Ned. He hadn't even been in King's Landing when that happened.

So it was true. Ned wasn't there.

The next day, Sansa wanted to search the entire city. Daenerys gave them guards to do so, but they found nothing. So they left the city, and traveled for days to the Riverlands, arriving at the inn in which, according to Sansa, she had given birth to Ned and stayed some time until Joffrey arrived to steal him from her. But when they arrived, there was nothing there, except mud and trees and the road.

"I can't be" Sandor heard Sansa whisper with disbelief.

But it was. There was nothing there. And Sandor realized with grief that Varys and Pycelle had been right.

"No, no, no, no, no..." Sansa was shaking, having realized it to. She raised her arms and looked at her hand, as if Ned was just going to magically appear there at any moment. She didn't push Sandor away when he hugged her in silence. "He... he was here... I had him in my arms, Sandor,  _I swear_..."

"Little bird..."

"It was all for nothing" she sobbed. "I put you all in danger, and it was for nothing... He's not here, Sandor... He's not here..."

"I'm going to take you home, little bird" he said. He knew that was the best thing he could do. "I'm going to take you home, to Winterfell."

"Don't leave me alone" she sounded like a frightened child. She was trying not to break, but it was almost impossible.

"I'll never will, Sansa."

* * *

It took them weeks to reach Winterfell. Queen Daenerys made sure that the Boltons disappeared from the castle, flying there with her dragon Drogon and killing the bastard of Bolton for the multiple crimes and atrocities that he had committed. And then she returned Winterfell to the Starks, to Sansa.

The castle was in ruins, since Theon Greyjoy had put it to the torch. But granite does't burn easily, and everybody promised Sansa that she would soon have her home exactly like it was before. Or at least, almost exactly, since nothing would ever bee the same.

Jon and Arya had come with her and Sandor, and also Ygritte, Sam and Gilly with her baby. Sandor thought that it would be better for Sansa to have a lot of people she knew around to keep her company.

With the passing days and weeks, Sandor noticed that Sansa was getting better. She wasn't fully recovered, but she was better. She started eating again, and talking. They even managed to make her smile a little bit sometimes. Sandor understood that she needed time, she had suffered many bad things. But she would survive, she always did. Sandor felt proud of her. he knew that she was stronger than anyone else around there, even him. She just couldn't take everything that was thrown at her immediately.

Was Sansa needed was a new beginning, a new life. Something that would make her happy. She would never be completelly happy, not without her son. But they could try. And Sandor knew exactly how he wanted that to be.

Sansa loved to spend the mornings in the godswood, which had been her father's favorite spot. Sometimes, Sandor joined her, just like he did on that particular day. Sansa greeted him with a soft kiss. Despite everything, her feelings for him were still intact. She knew that Sandor had suffered too, as Ned was also his son.

"Hello" she whispered, managing to put a faint smile of her lips. Her cheeks were rosy because of the cold air.

"Hello, little bird" he said, smiling back at her and kissing her back. "I was looking for you."

"You were?"

"Aye" he nodded. He didn't want to wait any longer. He had already waited enough. "There was something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked, looking a little bit confused.

Sandor stood silent for a couple f seconds, while he smiled warmly at her, admiring her. He loved all of Sansa, not only her beauty, but also how she was. He character. Everything. her strenght. And when he finally spoke, he knew that there wasn't anything else in the world that he desired more.

"Will you marry me, little bird?"

Sansa gasped, and covered her mouth with her hands in surprise. She looked at him as if trying to see if he was mocking her, but when she saw the warmth in his eyes and knew that he was truly asking, her own eyes were flooded by tears. For the first time in weeks, they were tears of happiness.

"Yes! Oh, Sandor, yes" she sighted, before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

As he was kissing her back, Sandor knew that they could try to be as happy. It was still possible for them.

Not everything was lost.


	17. The Longer The Winter The Warmer The Spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to add a list at the end of the names of the songs that I have used for the names of the chapter ^^  
> Hope you enjoy the reading!

_**14 years later.** _

It had been a long, cold winter, but it was finally over. It had lasted over a decade, being longer than the summer that preceeded it. It had been hell freezing over in Winterfell, but thankfully, it was warm inside the castle, or they would have died long ago. The castle had been rebuilt shortly before Sandor and Sansa's wedding, which was celebrated in the godswood of Winterfel. It had been the second time that Sansa was married and covered with a cloak of the colors of House Clegane, but, contrary to the first time, she couldn't have been happier. Sandor was her light in a world of darkness, he was what gave her the strenght and will to live. And he swore that he would always be by her side, in the good times and the bad times. Forever, until the day he died.

It had been a long winter, yes, but they had been together, warming each other with their company.

They had been a little afraid of what reaction the lords and ladies of Westeros and the North might have with their wedding and their feeling for each other, their history together. After all, the Hound had a reputation. But they had been greetly surprised when they saw that the Northeners, after hearing of Sandor's role in the fall of the Lannisters, held no I'll feeling towards him. Step by step, they even began to like him! Sansa was overjoyed, and Sandor finally felt that he was at home.

Sansa was lady of Winterfell briefly, until her younger brothers were found and Bran became Lord of Winterfell. Sansa felt lucky and extremelly happy for having almost all of her family together again, and she didn't mind at all that Bran was taking her place. Sandor and her were made Lord and Lady of Dreadfort instead, now that all the Boltons were dead. They changed the place completelly, turning it into a cheerful place and they were very loved by the smallfolk and their people.

Jon was also made a Lord. He was legitimized as a Targaryen. Daenerys gave Storm's End back to Stannis Baratheon, and then she gave Dragonstone to Jon, who married Ygritte. They were a very peculiar couple. Later, when Stannis Baratheon died, Daenerys legitimized Robert Baratheon's bastard son, Gendry. Sansa was greatly surprised when Arya (Arya!) happily married him, and became Lady of Storm's End... and also a warrior.

Years passed in peace. Sandor loved his quite life next to his little bird, who grew more beatiful with each day and each year that passed, soon becoming the most beautiful woman in the realm. Sandor could still not believe his luck, and each time that he looked at her he wondered if he was dreaming.

But of course, inside all that sweet happiness there was still sour sadness. Not a day passed in which they didn't remember Ned. In the day of his nameday every year, Sansa laid a handful of blue winter roses next to the tree of the gods, praying for his safe return home someday. She didn't listen to anyone who told her that Ned was dead, and Sandor decided to stop trying to convince her that it was useless to hope for his return. After all, they had the right to mourn for their lost child.

But most of all, they were happy. Life was treating them kindly, and repaying them for all that they had suffered.

Sandor was alone in the godswood of Dreadfort, polishing his longsword with a whetstone. It was a quite a calm place, and doing that activity there gave him some time to think, though nothing wa worrying him those days. However, the silence was broken by the sound of quick footsteps running towards him. He smiled, already knowing who it was, and left the sword on the ground by his side.

"DADDY!"

Two little girls jumped over him, throwing their arms around him and making him fall backwards to the ground, laughing unconteolably. His view was blocked by thick auburn hair.

"Girls, girls! You are choking me!" he said, still laughing. His daughters let go if him, and they were laughing also. Their childish, innocent, youthful laught and smiles were what gave life to that place. Sandor looked at them: they were seven years of age, and they looked exactly like Sansa, except that their eyes were the exact same shade of grey as Sandor's. They were twins. Alyss was the elder one, and with more delicate and lady-like manners. Agnes, on the other hand, was the perfect mix of a tomboy and a lady; she knew how to behave properly and courteusly when she had to, but later she loved picking up wooden swords and practice with her father. Sometimes Alyss joined them too.

It had been a surprise for Sandor and Sansa when they discovered that she was with child. They had been seven years married already, and Sansa had stayed firm in her decision of not having any more children. But when the two little and perfect twins were born, they were so very loved and welcome... Sandor remembered how scared Sansa had been at first, afraid that something bad would happen again. But then she had cried and cried and cried of happiness. Sandor couldn't find words to describe what he had felt when he had held his newborn daughters in his arms for the first time. Such tiny, delicate people with rosy skin and even tinier hands that wrapped themselves around his fingers... He knew right then that he would love, cherish and protect them always.

And so far, he had been the best father that there was in the Seven Kingdoms. Even Sansa was surprised.

Alyss and Agnes decided to attack him with tickless. Sandor laughed even harder than before.

"No, stop,  _stoooop_! You little devils!" he could have easily got rid of the two girls, who were so small compared to him (even though they were tall for their age), but he didn't. His daughters' laughs were the most precious thing in the world. "Seven hells, I'll tell your mother!"

Agnes seemed to like that.

"Oh please do! I'm sure she would  _love_  to join us, Daddy!" she grinned.

" _No_!" Sandor exclaimed. Sansa knew exactly were to tickle him, and it would be the death of him. He hoped that nine of his men ever saw him in the current situation, or they would lose all respect for him. "Come here you..."

He managed to stand up and he grabbed Alyss with his huge hands, lifting her in the air over his head. She laughed, delighted, and extended her arms at her sides.

"Look, Agnes, I'm a bird! Like Mother!"

"I want to fly too, I want to fly too!" little Agnes was shouting while jumping up and down in excitement, so Sandor sat Alyss down on his left shoulder and held her there with one hand while he picked Agnes up with the other arm and sat her on his right shoulder.

"Daddy, are we going riding today?" Alyss asked then.

"I can't, little birdie, I have to receive the Lord of..." before he could even say the name of the twice-dammed plump lord that he had to receive in his castle, he was howling in pain. Alyss was pulling his hair. She might be a lady, but she had quite a temper, just like her mother.

" _You promised_!"

"It's true, you promised" Agnes nodded in his right with an evil grinn. "And a lord always keeps his word and his honor!"

"Oh, bugger lords and their honor..." Sandor scoffed, making the twins giggle. They always did so when he swore. But it didn't make Alyss let go of his hair, as she was still pulling it. "Alright, alright, they can wait! I'll go and ride with you."

"Yay! Thank you, Father" Alyss said, finally letting his hair free. Sandor shook his head.

"Bloody hells, Alyss, one day you'll be stronger than a soldier with that fist of yours..."

"That is because I am Lady Alyss of House Clegane. Of course I am strong! Like my father!"

"And don't forget that you are also a Stark. Bugger, the wolves are strong too! You've never seen your mother slapping a man, or you wouldn't doubt it" Sandor muttered, half amused by it. He felt proud of his family. "Now, lets go back to the castle before someone starts missing us..."

He put Alyss and Agnes back down on the ground so that he could pick up he sword, and once it was safely put inside his scabbard, he took his daughter's hands in each one of his and the three of them walked out together from the godswood. When they entered the castle, they found it peaceful and quiet, with no one inside. Everybody was somewhere else attending to their duties and chores.

"Can we go and see Catelyn?" Alyss asked then. "Please?"

That was an excellent idea. "Sure, little birdie" Sandor said, smiling down to her.

They walked through the hallways and climbed the stairs of one of the towers, the one in which Sandor and Sansa's chambers were, and also the two belonging to the twins. They walked all the way to Sandor's chambers, and entered the room. There was a crib next to the huge bed, and Agnes and Alyss ran to it, happy. They took a stool and a chair to stand on them so that they could look inside the tall crib, and Sandor joined them.

"Sshh, she's asleep" Alyss said, giggling softly.

Inside the crib, a tiny baby was indeed sleeping. She was two months old, and had been the latest surprise that Sandor and Sansa had received. The little bird had carried that pregnancy on with much more calm than she had her previous ones, not feeling paranoid that something terrible would happen, of being afraid that someone would climb out of the shadows to snatch her baby away. The little baby girl was another tiny version of Sansa, and looked almost exactly to her older sisters when they were born, with a few auburn curls and grey eyes. That was their only Clegane feature.

The twins were delighted with their little sister, though sometimes Agnes felt a little disappointed.

"I wanted a baby brother" she pouted. She had expected to have someone there to play swords with her when her father could not expend time with her.

"You don't like your sister?" Sandor asked, alarming Agnes.

"Yes I do! I just hope that she likes to play with swords like me when she grows up."

"I play swords with you" Alyss protested, and Agnes rolled her eyes.

"Yes, but you like needlework more. I do too, but not  _always_. That's boring. That's why I wanted a baby brother."

"But you know that Mother didn't want to have a boy" Alyss whispered, as if she was saying something very bad and she was afraid that the walls might have ears. Then both sisters looked up at their father, who had his eyes fixed on the sleeping babe. "Isn't that so, Daddy? That Mother doesn't want to have a son..."

"It's true" he nodded. Sansa had told him during both pregnancies that she prayed to have girls, because another son would only be a constant reminder of the boy she lost. It was the only thing that could make her break. Many lords and ladies had advised Sansa to have a son, so that House Clegane could have an heir. She always told them that they already had an heir, and that she would find him someday and bring him back to the North, to his home. But Sansa was always extremely happy around her daughters and her husband.

Agnes sighted. Both she and her sister knew a bit of the story of Ned, but not all, they were too young to know what really happened. What they did know was that there was a bad king once, called Joffrey Baratheon but was really a Lannister, and that he had sent their father very, very far away from their mother. A long time later, their Mother was able to return home, but their older brother got lost. As simple as that.

"I wish I could have known Eddard" Agnes said, and then she made a funny face at Catelyn, who had just woken up and was moving her tiny hands in funny ways, oping and closing them as if trying to catch the air.

Seeing his youngest daughter awake, Sandor put his hands inside the crib and carefully took Catelyn in his arms, cooing her.

"Good morning, my little princess" he said, kissing her forehead. The babe made a funny noise.

He turned around when he heard footsteps on the door, and he saw Sansa looking at her family with a bright smile on her face. As always, the sight of her took Sandor's breath away. She was beautiful, dressed in a pearl-grey gown that enhanced her slim body and her full curves. Her hair was a cascade of perfect auburn locks on her back.

"Did she wake up already?" she asked with a soft voice, walking towards Sandor and the baby. He nodded, and Sansa kissed her daughter's forehead on the spot where Sandor had kissed her before. "My precious thing..."

"Mommy!" Alyss and Agnes threw themselves at Sansa like then had done with their father at the godswood. She smiled and kneeled down on the floor to hug them.

"My darlings... Look at you, you are a mess!" she exclaimed, referring to her daughters' messy hair. "Where have you been?! You look like your aunt Arya."

"We were playing in the godswood with Father!" Agnes said, and Sansa smiled. She loved that Sandor spent so much time with the twins. He was a loving father.

"That's great... Now, how about if we fix you up a little bit?"

The twins liked the idea. They sat on the bed while Sansa fetched a silver comb and then she also sat down behind them to brush their beautiful but messy hair. Alyss was the first one, and Sansa combed her hair into a beautiful and complicated braid. Sandor sat down on a chair, still holding Catelyn in his arms, while he watched his wife and his daughters.

It was being Agnes turn now. She wanted her hair loose, like her mother. While Sansa tried to undo the knots in her daughter's auburn hair, the little girl distracted herself by staring at her father.

"Mother, Father has long hair too. Why don't you also make him a beautiful hairdo?" no good ideas crossed that little devil's mind. Sansa laughed, and Sandor's eyes went wide open, alarmed.

"You dare to do that, and you'll wake up bald!" he barked, causing the twins to burst laughing.

"Ugh, Agnes, you would look ugly then... You would look like the Spider!" Alyss laughed, and Agnes silenced her by throwing the silver comb at her sister.

They had a very enjoyable day. As promised, Sandor went riding with Alyss and Sandor on the lands around the castle, and Sansa joined them too after leaving Catelyn with her wetnurse. When night fell upon Dreadfort, a feast was served in the main hall in honor of their visitors from a neighboring castle. There were bards, enough food for an entire week at least, good ale and wine, dancers... Sandor was enjoying the view from his seat, the seat of the Lord of the castle. He could see everything, and he could certainly see Agnes throwing food at the bald head of one of the servants of their visitor.

"Agnes!" he exclaimed, and the girl faked that she didn't hear him. She and her sister were laughing hysterically.

After they had eaten and drank enough, Sansa stood up and made Sandor go and dance with her. Years ago, he always refused to dance anywhere in public, but he didn't last long until he gave in to his little bird's desires. Men always looked at him with envy whenever they saw him dancing with his beautiful wife, they all wished they could be him and have also the most beautiful wife in the Seven Kingdoms. Sandor felt so happy that he danced with his little bird until his feet hurt, even though the ale and wine made him a little tottering. When they saw him dancing, Alyss and Agnes ran towards them, and Sandor danced with them too.

It was a lovely evening. Everybody went to bed happy. Sansa and Sandor went to each of the twins chambers to tuck them in and given them a good night's kiss. Sansa sang a song to Alyss, while Sandor told a story to Agnes. They loved their family more than they thought possible.

Catelyn was already asleep when they reached their own chambers. Sansa was in a lovely mood that night.

"You were enjoying yourself in that feast" she commented to her husband, after she gave him a long, deep kiss. The passing of the years hadn't taken away their burning passion, but it had increased it.

"Only because you were there" Sandor said, tracing a path of kisses along the little bird's bare neck. "And maybe because I was a bit drunk."

"You big liar..." Sansa giggled. Sandor's finger found their way to the laces at the back of her dress, and he started untying them. "Sandor, there's a child in the room..."

"A  _sleeping_  child" he corrected her. "I think: better make a good use of our time while that lasts!"

Sansa giggled again, and Sandor finally stripped her of the gown. They fell on the bed, melting in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Devotion- Hurts.  
> 2\. Know Your Enemy- Green Day.  
> 3\. Seize The Day- Avenged Sevenfold.  
> 4\. All The Way/ 4 U- Poets of the Fall.  
> 5\. Tears Don't Fall- Bullet For My Valentine.  
> 6\. Spade- Marilyn Manson.  
> 7\. Seven Devils- Florence + The Machine.  
> 8\. Keep The Streets Empty For Me- Fever Ray.  
> 9\. A Little Piece Of Heaven- Avenged Sevenfold.   
> 10\. Hellfire-The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (Soundtrack).  
> 11\. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams- Green Day.  
> 12\. Say My Name- Within Temptation.  
> 13\. Just Give Me A Reason- P!nk.  
> 14\. No Plan B- Manafest.  
> 15\. Seven Devils- Florence + The Machine.  
> 16\. Bones- MS MR.  
> 17\. There Is Life- Alison Krauss.


	18. Be Careful Making Wishes In A Dark Place.

14 years. 14 years she had been waiting for this. Waiting for the moment to return, the moment to strike back. And it was finally time.

Cersei Lannister was in the deck of her ship, looking at the horizon beyond the sea, were the Seven Kingdoms were waiting. That dragon bitch had taken everything away from her, but now she had an army. She had put the Lannister gold that she had managed to take with her from King's Landing to good use.

Her son, King Tommen, was at her side. He was no longer a plump boy, but a handsome young man now. Cersei used to think that he looked like his father. However, she hadn't been able to erase Tommen's sweetness and kindness from his heart. It had been awful to convince him to take back the Seven Kingdoms. He didn't want them, but Cersei did. Tommen was just doing all that to please his mother.

"It won't be long before we are back in our home, son" Cersei said to Tommen, still staring to the horizon. The sun was setting in the West. "We will take what is ours, and avenge your brother. My poor Joffrey..."

"It's been a long time, Mother" Tommen said. He didn't like his mother's intentions, he had told her a thousand times that going back was a mad idea.

"Precisely. Revenge is always served cold."

"They have dragons..."

"Then we kill the dragons! They are nothing without them!"

Tommen didn't say anything else, he knew it was useless. His mother was stubborn, and he did not wish to have a fight with her, not again. "It won't be long now... Get your men ready."

Tommen sighted and nodded, walking away from his mother. Cersei stayed there, with her green eyes fixed on the same spot as always. She was listing in get head all the people that she wanted to see dead. Her brother Tyrion and her twin Jaime, for abandoning her. The Targaryen girl, for daring to take her son's throne away. Varys, Littlefinger, everybody! And Sansa Stark... Yes, she wanted Sansa Stark dead, but first she had a little surprise prepared for her...

* * *

Sansa was struggling more than ever with her daughters, trying to get them to finish breaking their fast.

"Eat it!" she said for the hundreth time. "It's porridge, it's good!"

"But I'm not hungry! Catelyn can eat it, she's always hungry!" Agnes exclaimed.

Sansa turned around to look at her husband, who was having his own struggle trying not to burst out laughing.

"Oh, you think this is funny?!"

Actually, he did. Watching his refined little bird trying to get two 7-year-olds to eat porridge was probing to be quite an entertainment. He feared that Sansa might grab the plate and shove it in his face for dating to laugh at her, but before she had a chance to even consider it, the maester arrived.

"A raven from King's Landing, Lord Clegane" he said, handing a small pice of rolled parchment over to him. Sansa paid no attention as Sandor stood up from the table and walked over to the window to be able to read better.

He did so in silence, without anyone noticing his face gradually turning white as that of a dead man's.

"Sansa" he rasped suddenly, after reading the words written in black ink.

"What is it, darling?"

"Come with me" he said, walking towards the door.

"Daddy, don't go!" Agnes exclaimed, and Sandor turned around to look at her and her sister.

"Eat!" he barked, a little too harshly. The twins eyes were wide with shock and their faces were frightened for a second, but they obeyed immediately, not saying a word. Sandor felt terrible then. Sansa didn't say anything, she knew that Sandor's sudden mood change was due to the raven.

"Darling, let's go" she said, speaking softly and leading out of the room, where the twins couldn't hear them. They walker to the privacy of their chambers. "What did the raven said?"

"The Lannisters" he spat. He hadn't spoken with such rage in his voice in years, almost over a decade. "They've come back."

"What?" Sansa's face turned whiter than her husband's. She took the little piece of parchment from his hands and started reading it.

"That cunt Cersei. She's back in Westeros with a fucking army. A fucking big army."

"Whe-where did she get it? H-how, why?!" Sansa couldn't believe it. She was in shock, shaking her head without really noticing, trying to deny it.

"She wants to take the fucking kingdoms back. We are invaded all over the place, and Daenerys only has three dragons. She needs the Lord's armies, and their bannermen."

"You are not going to war" his little bird suddenly snapped, knowing what he meant. The look in her eyes was dangerous. "You will not leave me here, I will not allow it. You'll stay. There are enough Lords and Ladies throughout the Seven Kingdoms to help the Queen..."

"Little bird, the Queen helped us when it was us that needed her army, remember?" he said. It was usually the little bird that calmed him down and tried to convince him of what was better and honorable, not the other way around. "And I guess that you don't want everyone in Westeros to say that your husband was a coward that his inside his castle when the lions attacked. Plus, I need to go. The Lannisters hurt your family more than anyone else, and they hurt me too. They hurt us."

"They took Ned away" Sansa remembered, suddenly numb.

 _Our firstborn_ Sandor thought  _Our only boy. He's not missing, he's **dead**  because of those fucking Lannisters..._

"I can't take our son back, little bird" he said, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his chest. "But I can do one thing. I can make them pay for what they did. I'll bring you Cersei's head as a gift."

"Show her what it feels to lose what she loves" Sansa hissed, and Sandor felt a chill going down his spine. He felt it, the pain that Sansa carried always deep within her, even when she was happy. He didn't want to see her like that ever again, but that wouldn't be possible if the Lannisters didn't pay for their crimes. Joffrey was already dead, but now it was his mother's turn.

"I will, little bird" he promised before kissing her. It felt like a good-bye kiss. In a certain way, it almost was.

"When are you leaving?" Sansa asked, her voice barely audible. She had lived only through one war, and it had been bad enough for a lifetime. She dreaded the though of being away from her beloved husband.

"Me and my men will march tomorrow to meet your brothers army in the Neck" Sandor said. "Then we will all march towards the South. Your brother Rickon needs men in the Vale, the Lannisters are attacking there too."

"Don't let them hurt my brother!" Sansa exclaimed, alarmed. "Please, don't let them hurt him..."

"Your brother is doing a fine job defending himself and his people, you know how the Eyrie is."

Sansa nodded, knowing that Sandor was right. Her brother was safe where he was, and he would defeat the Lannisters with the help of Bran's men and bannermen.

"Just promise me that you will be safe" she begged Sandor. He couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Those fuckers will tremble when they see me coming" he said, managing to pull a faint smile from Sansa's face.

That night she wasn't able to sleep. Sandor made love to her, as it was the last night they had to be together before he had to go to war and only the gods knew when he would return. Afterwards, Sandor did manage to sleep, snoring lightly, but Sansa could not stop thinking while she rested in Sandor's arms. What if something had happened? What if they took him away, like they had taken Ned away? What if they killed him? So many things could go wrong, there were swords, daggers, arrows, spears...

 _Stop it, he is one of the fiercest warriors there is, no one can defeat him_  Sansa told to herself.  _And he promised that he will return home safe._

That finally put her to sleep.

The next day, Sansa stood at the gates of Dreadfort with Catelyn in her arms and Alyss and Agnes by her side. Their where there to say good bye and watch the men part to meet the Stark men to get ready for battle.

"I'll send a raven to you as soon as I can" Sandor promised his wife. "We won't be away for long."

"Be safe" she told him for the thousand time. He smiled, twitching the burned side of his safe, and kissed her good-bye. Then he placed a kiss on Catelyn's forehead, and then he kneeled on the ground to look at the eyes of his two elder daughters, who were trying really hard not to weep.

"Girls, don't be sad. I'll be back before you even notice the time's passing!"

"Will you- will you come back in time for our nameday?" Alyss asked.

"I'll try" it was a vague answer. Sandor did not want to promise something that he wasn't sure he could do. He sighted, hating that moment. He had never been away from his family in all those years. He leaned forward and hugged the girls. "I love you, my little birdies."

"We love you too, Daddy!"

He stood up again on his feet and walked over to where his squire was holding his horse steady. The horse was Stranger's offspring, Winter, as black as night. He jumped on the horse and held the reigns. He looked one last time at his family, and his eyes lingered on the little bird's Tully blue eyes. How could he spend the days and nights without looking at those beautiful eyes that only had love reserved for him?

But duty called, and it was time to go.

Sansa watched Sandor and his men leave, and anyone watching her could have sworn that she was made of stone and ice. Her face wasn't giving away any emotions at all, even though she was screaming inside.

"Come" she said to her daughters. "Let's go back inside..."

Agnes and Allys followed her inside Dreadfort. The castle seemed so large and empty and silent...

"Mother, why did Father have to leave?" Alyss asked.

Sansa sighted.

"Well... because Cersei Kannister has returned with an army. She left years before you were born, and she did many bad things... Your Father wants to make her pay for those crimes."

"A Lannister? Like Ser Jaime and Lord Tyrion? But they are not bad..."

_Not now, at least_

"But Cersei and her son Joffrey were very, very bad" she said. "Specially Joffrey. He killed your grandfather, and his grandfather is responsible for the deaths of your grandmother and your uncle. Joffrey also dud very bad things to me, and he sent your father far away and made me believe he was dead. He's also the reason that... That your brother isn't here..."

"He killed Eddard?" Agnes asked, horrified.

"I don't know what happened" Sansa admitted.

She placed Catelyn in her crib and sat down on a chair, with her daughters on her lap. They looked out the window, where all the soldiers from Dreadfort were already a tiny spot in the horizon.

"They will win the war" Agnes suddenly declared, completely convinced and fearless. "Father is the best. He will kick the Lannisters in their arses, right?!"

Sansa couldn't help but smile. She had told Sandor a million times to watch his language around the girls, but now she could see that he hadn't listened to her.

"Right" she nodded.

* * *

Everybody saw it when the men from the Dreadfort arrived at Lord Bran Stark's camp at Moat Cailin. Thousands of armed men had already arrived there and set their tents, and they watched as the soldiers from House Clegane rode into the camp, lead by their lord. With the passing of the years, House Clegane had earned respect from everybody, as it had changed drastically. Sandor had said that the old Cleganes had died along with Gregor and Clegane Keep when it burned, and new Cleganes where born from the ashes. So he had changed the sigil. The original sigil represented his House's loyalty to the Lannisters, and that was gone. He had kept the colors yellow and black, but instead of three dogs, his new sigil had a single black dog and a red bird.

Sandor dismounted his horse in front of Bran Stark's tent, which was guarded by his direwolf Summer, and went inside. Bran was inside, sitting in a comfortable chair with wheels that was an invent of his new maester. He was studying some maps of Westeros over the table. He raised his head when he heard Sandor enter the tent.

"Sandor, I'm glad to see you here" he said, and Sandor bowed his head with respect.

"Milord."

Bran signaled him to get closer to the table, so that he could look at the maps too. It was marked on the maps where each army was. Sandor was alarmed to see how much territory the lions covered. Only the North was safe… for now.

"The attacked Dragonstone first" Bran said, pointing at the island. "Jon is resisted very well, and Daenerys sent one of her dragons to the island immediately after she heard the news."

"So Dragonstone is no longer under attack?" Sandor asked. He didn't find it very likely that the Lannister men had resisted the attack of an immense dragon. The beast didn't even fit inside the throne hall of the Red Keep of how large it was.

"No, they are safe. But Cersei Lannister used that as a distraction to send her armies to Storm's End and Dorne too. My sister and Lord Gendry are safe, the Queen sent her other two dragons there too, and the Lannisters attacked all the other places. They have surrounded the Seven Kingdoms, except the North, and Daenerys doesn't have more dragons to send to war. She's in Dorne now."

"Who else is under attack, apart from your brother Rickon?"

"The other Lannisters in Casterly Rock. And I've just received a raven saying that King's Landing is under attack. Once we are done here in the Vale, we'll go to King's Landing."

 _Casterly Rock? That cunt is attacking her own home, her own family?_  Sandor was surprised, and frowned. Bran must have known what he was thinking, for he said:

"Cersei considers her brothers traitors. She wants their heads probably more than she wants the Queen's… or Sansa's and yours, for that matter."

"Why haven't they attacked the North yet?"

"It's too big and too wild. They won't dare to try it even with us here at war."

"Or maybe they will."

"In that case, we turn around, march home, and crush them" Bran declared. Sandor liked the liege lord in which the little crippled boy had become. Now he was a fierce young man, very much like his father but much less stupid, and powerful. Very powerful.

Bran pointed to the place in the map where the Eyrie was located.

"My brother is resisting very well there, but the Vale is surrounded by Cersei's army. They are weakening Rickon and his men by keeping them confined up there."

"So we attack and kill the fuckers. We need a large army for that."

"We have the entire North. And my uncle Edmure has sent a large number of swords to the Vale too. He didn't want to send all his men in case they got attacked too, but for now Riverrun is secure."

"So how many men do we have?"

"Fifty thousand. Many more than our enemies. Cersei has a large army indeed, but she has wanted to conquer everything far too quickly. By dividing the army, they are weakened."

Sandor was starting to like better what he was hearing.

"We'll come right behind them and fuck them in their arses" he rasped.

Bran smiled half a smile.

"Exactly…"

* * *

It was exactly as Bran had planned. They fell on the Lannister army at night, when they weren't expected. Bran Stark didn't go to the battle himself, as he couldn't move… at least not his human body. His eyes became white and his soul entered Summer's body. The wolf lead the men to battle and ripped Lannister soldier apart mercilessly, while his bannermen and soldiers engaged in swordfight. Sandor hadn't been in a battle in a really long time, but he hadn't lost practice. He cut men in half as easily as when he was much younger, and it didn't take much time until he was surrounded by mutilated corpses. He had forgotten how good it felt to do that, even though the rage inside him had mostly disappeared. That he wasn't the terrible Hound that he had been before didn't mean that he wasn't a warrior, and a bloodthirsty one when it came to killing his enemies.

 _I'm doing this to make the Lannister bitch pay for all that she did_  he thought as he beheaded a man with a single swing of his longsword.

Sandor took a moment to look around himself, beyond the trail of bodies that he had left on the ground. Even though it was the middle of the nigh, the lit torches had set some spots on fire, providing enough light to see everything. The Stark army was slaughtering the Lannister army, just like in old times. For every lion there were five wolves.

 _They are fucked_  Sandor thought pleased.

Then he saw some men, some of his men from the Dreadfort, that where having trouble. They were six against one of the Lannister men, and he was butchering them like pigs in a slaughterhouse.

Sandor had never seen such a big man, except himself, his brother Gregor and the halfwit Hodor.

The soldier was huge, compared to the other men. He was maybe just a bit shorter than Sandor, but Sandor himself was a ridiculously large person. The man was heavily muscled as well as tall, and was wearing a shining blue armor, with some bits in white and black. It was an unusual armor, just as his helm, which was big and shaped in the form of some kind of animal that Sandor couldn't really distinguish between all that chaos and darkness. He stared until a man charged against him, and in the few seconds that he had stood still watching, the soldier in the blue armor had managed to kill all six men that were surrounding him and was fighting against three new ones.

Sandor couldn't let his men be slaughtered like that. He faced the man that had charged against him, yelled letting his battle rage out, and drove his sword through the man's heart. Then he started walking towards the unknown warrior in blue armor. Two of Sandor's men were already dead, and only one was left standing.

 _Bloody son of a whore_  Sandor mentally cursed as he saw that, starting to run with his blood-dripping sword in his hand.

The blue warrior killed the last man, and attacked another one. He seemed to have taken a liking for Sandor's men. He was attacking fiercely when Sandor arrived.

"Think you are tough?!" he barked to the soldier, who took his attention away from the man, not before making a deep cut in the poor idiot's arm. "Come on, I'll show you what a real fight is like before I cut your throat!"

The soldier only stared at him for a moment, without doing anything at first. Sandor could finally see the shape of his helm. It was a blue bird. It's beak was closed, so the man's face was hidden behind it.

Sandor had been right, the man was only a bit shorter than him, and not as muscled, but that was probably just because he was younger. He was still scary-looking for everyone else, and it was possible that Sandor had made a huge mistake challenging him.

 _This is a fucking war, we need to take out the strongest men from the enemy lines_  Sandor thought, remembering the nine men that he had lost in only a couple of minutes because of that unknown soldier that wa pissing him off.

The flames were brightly reflected on the soldier's bird-shapped helm, giving the man an even fiercer look than he already had.

Sandor charged against him, telling in the midst of battle, just as his enemy raised his own bloody longsword. But before steel could clash against steel, something collided against Sandor's chest, and he fell of his back to the ground. He looked up to see what had thrown him back: it was Summer. Or Bran, in that particular moment.

"The fuck are you doing?!" he yelled at his liege lord in the form of a direwolf. Bran just looked at him straight in the eye for a second before getting off him and running away to fight off the rest of their enemies.

Sandor quickly stood back up on his feet, ready to fight the man with the bird helm. But as he looked around, he saw that the soldier had disappeared. Sandor looked around himself, but he couldn't find the blue soldier anywhere near him. It was as if the darkness and the fire had swallowed him.

He had no time to waste looking for that man, they had a battle to win. So Sandor forgot about him for the time being, and turned around to engage in battle against the rest of his enemies as if nothing had happened.

* * *

The battle was done almost right after it started, with the Stark army victorious over the Lannister army. The men from the Eyrie had come out of hiding to help, and together they had killed more than half of the lions, and taken prisoners half of the survivors. The other half (that was, a quarter part of the army) was able to run away in time and escape after their commanders ordered the retreat.

Bran Stark's army had lingered in the Vale, taking the prisoners back to the camp and collecting the corpses of their fallen soldiers. Sandor had spared a minute to look for the soldier with the bird helm, but he was nowhere to be found. He was probably one of the survivors that had escaped in time.

Curiosity was killing him. He never cared about the men that he fought against, but he found it quite interesting that among an army of Lannister men and sell swords and warriors from the East, that one was so distinguished. That was why when he passed along the prisoners, he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"You" he rasped, calling a soldier's attention. The man's face was bloodstained and dirty, covered in gore and sweat. He was chained to a post, and looked up at Sandor with fear. "I'm looking for a man."

"I doubt I can be of much help, Ser..."

"I'm no Ser" he barked, and the man lowered his head.

"Forgive me, milord."

"I'm looking for one of yours. A soldier almost as big as I am, with a helm in the shape of a bird. Who is he?"

There was recognition in the man's eyes.

"I've never met him personally or talked to him, but they call him the Blue Jay."

"The Blue Jay?"

"Aye. He is one of the Queen's most fierce soldiers, everyone is afraid of him... His real name is Sanjay Hill, or Waters, I don't know. Not sure if he's a bastard from King's Landing or Casterly Rock..."

"Whose bastard?" Sandor wanted to know.

"There are rumors that he's a Lannister bastard. Others say that he's one of the King's bastards, he had many. Others say that he's just a bloody no one, with bloody good luck and a talent for killing."

 _I've known many boys with a talent for killing_  Sandor thought, remembering his brother when he was a child. Gregor had quite a reputation. But that Sanjay Hill was different, he didn't seem to be enjoying the kill (as far as Sandor could tell, as he couldn't see the man's face due to the bluejay helm) but was only fighting because it was his duty.

He had already gotten all the information he wanted. The blue soldier was the Blue Jay, he was a bastard and a no one, and he was dangerous. The next time that he saw him, Sandor would kill him. With his curiosity already sated, Sandor turned around and left the prisoner exactly where he had found him.

Bran Stark was summoned to the Eyrie by his brother Lord Rickon Stark. Bran had told some of his bannermen to go with him, and Sandor was among them. Sandor wanted to question Bran about what had happened before, during the battle, but he decided against it.

The way up to the Eyrie was a buggering long one. When they arrived, everyone gathered around the Gates of the Moon, which were closed. Rickon welcomed them with a big smile and went to give a hug to his older brother.

"Bran!" he exclaimed. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Rickon. Do you have any news from Arya?"

"Yes. You know that the Queen sent one of her dragons there, the green one, Rhaegal. The Lannisters didn't stand a chance."

Sandor couldn't help but smile lightly when he heard that. He was sure that the Lannisters didn't stand a chance anyways, dragon or no dragon. Arya Stark would have stabbed them all with the pointy end of her valyrian steel sword without hesitation.

Rickon saw him then. He had always liked Sandor, and Sandor was happy that the little lord had grown into such a fine Lord. Rickon hugged him too, as he had done with his older brother. His black direwolf Shaggydog was following him around.

"Sandor, goodbrother! It's been a long time. I see that war is a good time for reunions."

"It is indeed."

"I've got both good and bad news for you, by the way" Rickon said. "Which one do you want to hear first?"

Sandor's expression darkened, and he frowned.

"The bad, I guess?"

Rickon patted him on the back.

"The bad news is that the Queen Daenerys requests your presence in King's Landing immediately. I just got her raven from the capital, she is back there and the situation is under control. But she wants you there."

Those were indeed bad news, at least for Sandor. It meant a delay in his plans to go back to the Dreadfort and his family. He growled.

"And the good news?" he rasped.

Rickon smiled. That smiled told Sandor immediately that whatever news their we're, they were indeed really good ones.

"They found Cersei Lannister. Daenerys has her."


	19. He Is Not One Of Us

Everyone had gathered inside the Throne Room of the Red Keep, where Queen Daenerys was sitting on the Iron Throne, looking at them all with the most solemn expression. Most of the Lords, knights, sellwords and other men were staring at her looking like fools. Daenerys Stormborn's beauty had always been famous all over the world, from Westeros to Asshai, with her silver hair and violet eyes. All men desired her, and she could have chosen anyone to rule the Seven Kingdoms by her side, but she hadn't. She had been married once and she did not intend to do it again. She already had chosen a heir, her nephew Jon Targaryen, and his children were next in line after him. Nothing was going to make the Queen change her decision, so no one tried. But still, they desired her, all of them except Sandor. He only had eyes for Sansa, the other most desired woman in the realm.

But right now, he could only think of one thing. Killing the Lannister bitch.

He had arrived at King's Landing the day before with his men. Bran, Rickon and the Stark army had stayed behind at the Vale in case the Lannisters dared to attack again. Sandor hadn't brought his army to the capital because now that Daenerys was there with her dragons, there was no way that the Lannisters could attack the city again.

If it hadn't been because the Queen had forbidden him personally to go and fetch Cersei Lannister from the dungeons, he would have gone there immediately to cut her pretty white throat, to punish her for all the suffering and grief that she and her fucking family had caused his little bird. But he would have to wait for that… and he was furious.

"What are you going to do with her, your Grace?" he had asked the Queen, wanting to know what she had reserved for the lioness.

"There will be a trial" Daenerys had said. That was what sparked Sandor's fury.

"A trial? A fucking  _trial_?! She deserves to get her eyes taken out and then be cut slowly in little fucking pieces while she screams!"

"Don't worry, Lord Clegane, she's not likely to win. In fact, if I were her, I would start praying to all the gods, fake and real" Daenerys' voice was so cold that Sandor had to trust her. After all, he had been fourteen years seeing her wining her enemies out of the map and turning them to ash. She wasn't about to start letting them go now.

They were all waiting. The Queen hadn't said a word, other than to greet them, and now everyone stood in silence until they brought the prisoner into the Throne Room.

"How did they catch her?" Sandor asked in a low voice to a sellsword that was standing next to him.

"I've heard that she was in a ship near the shores of Storm's End" the young man said, grinning. "Lord Gendry Baratheon's ships battled against hers, and then the dragon arrived. Fucked the Lannister men right in their arses."

The more that Sandor heard about what was going on in the war and the more that he saw, the more that he thought that Cersei Lannister was the stupidest person alive. How had she even dared to try and attack Westeros?! It was an action bound to fail!

"I've heard that Cersei Lannister started yelling like a madwoman when she saw Lord Gendry" the older man at the other side of Sandor said. He was a lord of some minor House in the South that Sandor did not recognize. "She thought that it was King Robert's ghost that had woken up from the grave to take revenge. I would have paid all my gold to see that!"

"There's an awful lot of people who want to take revenge on that bitch" Sandor rasped, and the lord nodded.

"I wonder if Jaime and Tyrion Lannister will dare to show up their faces around here. I'm sure the Imp would like to see his sister's head rolling on the floor."

"Casterly Rock is still under attack. The Queen just sent the green dragon there to get rid of the invaders."

"Can't really say that no one will be happy if that House disappears entirely" the lord grinned. Then he stared at Sandor for a long time. Sandor found the man quite annoying. "You used to be their dog, if I recall it correctly. Their loyal Hound… You don't mind that your former masters are getting slaughtered over the years?"

"Watch your words, you are talking to Lord Clegane of the Dreadfort!" Sandor's master of arms spoke furiously, having found the lord's words insulting.

"Right, forgive me, milord" the older man said. "This old head of mine sometimes forgets certain things. You are loyal to the Starks now. Married to one! My apologies, it wasn't my intention to make any offense to you, milord."

"None taken" Sandor rasped. He knew that his past as the Hound was not completely forgotten by everyone, but he wasn't bothered by it anymore. Some men just had a big mouth.

The gates opened and many people came inside the Throne Room. They were Lannister soldiers captured in King's Landing, Storm's End, and in other places: the Kingsroad, villages, other cities... They were chained up and surrounded by golden cloaks, and they were taken before the Queen. They were a mess, wounded, dirty, defeated and hunilliated. Sandor thought that they had brought that upon themselves, and it served them right.

Once all the defeated Lannister soldiers were on their knees in front of the Dragon Queen, she finally spoke.

"Bring in the prisoner" she ordered.

Someone else came through the gates. Sandor raised his eyesbrows in surprise after seeing that it was Arya Stark. She was wearing breeches like a man, and a breastplate as armor. Her sword hung at her side, moving forward and backwards as Arya walked. Despite her manly clothing and her tomboyish personality, there was no denying that she had trbed into a beautiful lady. Many in the realm said that she looked like Lyanna Stark reincarnated, with long dark curls and Stark-grey eyes. No one called her Arya-horseface anymore, and if someone did, they got their ass kicke pretty hard.

Arya was grinning with malicious eyes. Soon Sandor could see why. His goodsister was taking someone into the room his her, a woman that was sobbing and trying to pull away from the young Lady. The woman was sobbing because Arya was grabbing her tightly from the hair and dragging her towards the Iron Throne in the most humilliating way possible. Sandor narrowed his eyes; he would recognize those golden locks anywhere.

Cersei Lannister was practically on her knees crawling on the floor to keep up with Arya, who wasn't letting go of her hair, pulling so hard from it that Cersei was crying of pain. She looked like a dog, being dragged like that throught the Throne Room.

Sandor looked at his goodsister with approval when she walked in front of him, and she smiled at him.

"Hello, goodbrother" she said, keeping her head high. "Do you like the little gift that I found?"

Many started shouting insults at the former Queen. Once Arya was right on front of the Iron Throne, she pushed Cersei and threw her to the floor at Daenerys' feet. Cersei lifted her head and looked around her throught her messy hair, which had fallen infront of her face. She found Sandor and looked at him in the eyes, but he just stared at her green eyes with a blank expression. She was pathetic, and he felt bith pity and disgust for the woman. How low she had fallen...

"Clegane..." she mumbled with trembling lips.

"Quiet!" Arya said, and kicked Cersei in the most unladylike way, but nobody minded it. Cersei cried in pain, and Arya left her side to join Sandor. "Are my siblings safe?"

He nodded. "Sansa went to Winterfell, Bran and Rickon are in the Vale. We won the battle there."

Arya was pleased with the answer. "Good!" she exclaimed, and looked down at Cersei, shooting daggers through her eyes. "She tried to take my castle. Gendry went to fight, and he told me to stay with the children, but I didn't listen to him."

"I would have been surprised if you actually had" Sandor said, causing his goodsister to laugh. She was one of the people that didn't hate him anymore, and they had become quite good friends.

Then they fell silent, because the Queen had stood up on her throne. Daenerys had her eyes fixed on Cersei, who was shaking and looking at the floor like a scared animal. The tension was filling the air in the Throne Room, and Sandor stood very still without taking his eyes off the woman that was partly responsible for the fact that his son had died all those years ago. He hated her, and he wanted to see her punished. He wanted to hear her screams and see her blood.

"Cersei Lannister" Daenerys said. Her voice reverberated through the room. "You stand here acussed of many crimes against the realm, the crown, and the people of Westeros. You are here to be judged."

Daenerys listed Cersei's crimes. Incest, adultery, treason, murder, attempted murder, rebellion against the Queen...

"I never murdered anyone!" Cersei protested, causing many people to shout insults at her.

"No? You deny having had any part in Jon Arryn's death, poisoning Ribert Baratheon, ordering your brother to push Bran Stark to his death... Should I continue?"

"Lies!"

The shouts and insults just got louder, and Daenerys did nothing to silnece them. Sandor was not taking part in the storm of curses and insults to the former Queen; he was waiting patiently until she got really punished. He hadn't seen Joffrey die, but he would watch his bitch mother die.

"Cersei Lannister, the penalty for your crimes... Is death."

Everybody cheered. The only ones that didn't were the prisoners, who stood silent and looking down to their feet in silence. Cersei was shaking her head.

"You know the law, Daenerys Targaryen!" she cried. Her voice sounded desperate, and her eyes were wide open. She looked like she was crazy. "I have rights, too! I have the tight of a trial by combat!"

The room felt silent with the realization that the bitch was right. She could ask for a trial by combat.

Immediatly, dozens of voices were speaking out loud, demanding the Queen to let them have the honor of being her champion. Even Arya Stark raised her voice, saying that she would slay any man that was put in frint of her. But Daenerys had already made her choice...

"Lord Sandor Clegane" she called, and everybody shut up and looked at him. "Will you be my champion?"

"Gladly" he rasped. His squire handed him his helm in the shape of a snarling dog, and he put it on before walking towards the center of the room, waiting for the man that he must kill.

Fir the first time in a very long time, he heard someone yelling:

"HOUND!"

It came from one of the Lords present. It wasn't referred as an insult, but as a cry of battle, a cheer. It wasn't long until more people joined the Lord.

" _Hound! Hound! Hound! Hound! Hound!_ "

They trusted him to finish off whoever it was that dared to face him to protect Cersei Lannister. Sandor would not dissapoint them. The image of his little bird came to his mind, making him promise that he would make Cersei pay. His mind was also filled with memories of years ago, when Sansa and him discovered that they would never find their son... It made his blood boil in his veins.

He looked at Cersei though the holes in his dog-shapped helm. It surprised him to see that she was grinning in a way that he did not like at all. It was a grinn of pure pleasure and evil. She looked so much like her dead son then that it was scary.

"I have chosen my champion as well" she said, and she turned her head toward her own men. "Sanjay Waters."

 _You've got to be fucking kidding me_  Sandor mentally cursed while he turned around to look at his opponent. The man had already put on his blue bird-shapped helm on, so Sandor couldn't see his face.

What was he even doing there?! He had escaped from the battle on the Vale, so maybe he was captured while on the run. Or maybe he had tried to reach another one of the battles and he was taken there. Whatever had happened, Sandor didn't care. He was going to kill the fucking bastard anyways.

However, he remembered how the knight (Sandor supposed he was a knight) had fought during the battle of the Vale and how he had killed  ** _nine_**  men in less time than it took to blink. Cersei had certainly chose her champion very well, and the rest of the Lannister prisoners knew it. At the same time than the lords, knights and sellswords of Westeros were shouting "Hound!", one of the prisoners yelled:

"Blue Jay!"

The prisoners roared like a pack of hungry beasts, suddenly not afraid anymore. They were all looking at the Blue Jay knight, who had just gotten his greatsword back from the man that took it away from him. He took the huge weapon out of the scabbard and held it as if it was as light as a feather. He walked forward, getting closer to Sandor and facing him directly without hesitating.

 _He's got some guts, I'll give him that_  Sandor recognized. He knew fear when he saw it, and even thought he could not see the man's face, all he could sense in him was the determination to kill his opponent. Just like during the battle.  _Where the fuck did the Lannister bitch find a warrior like this?_

"Sanjay, kill him" Cersei hissed at Sandor's back. She earned another one of Arya's kicks because of that.

"Quiet!"

Daenerys gave her permission to start the fight and sat again on the Iron Throne. Then the two men raised their swords, and just like on the Vale, steel collided against steel with a loud " ** _BANG_**!". Sandor felt Sanjay's strength with that blow, and cursed, but he was still bigger and stronger, and more experienced. However, while he was fiercer, Sanjay was faster, and most likely younger, less worn down. Still, Sandor would not let that fucking knight defeat him. He had to kill that fucking Blue Jay, to make justice. If he killed the Blue Jay, Sandor would be free to avenge his son.

Sandor yelled before bringing his sword down again on Sanjay, but he blocked the attack barely before the blade cut him in half. Then he pushed Sandor's sword to the side and aimed for his neck, but Sandor backed away in time.

Men's voices rumbled in the Throne Room.

" _Hound! Hound! Hound! Hound! Hound! Hound!"_

 _"Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay! Blue Jay_!"

"HOUND! KILL HIM!"

Sandor was trying, but the bloody fucking bird was a tough one. He would not die easily. It seemed that he would never get tired, even thought he was wearing that fucking helm and a greatsword, which was heavy. Both swords kept clashing against one another, and then Sanjay started forcing Sandor to back against the wall.

 _Fuck_!

Sanjay threw a particularly violent blow against Sandor, but he managed to dodge it before he could lose his head. Sanjay's great word crashed against the column behind Sandor and big pieces of rock flew in all directions. Daenerys would not be happy with that.

Sandor was moving away from Sanjay, when the man managed to cut a deep gash in Sandor's right arm, the one of his sword hand. Sandor swore in pain, and a loud gasp could be heard from the men of Westeros, while the prisoners cheered.

"Kill him Waters!" one of them yelled.

_Oh no, that he will not!_

Blood was soaking Sandor's sleeve, and the pain was awful, but he could still hold the sword. And if not, he would fight with his left hand, but he would keep fighting. Incredibly, the Blue Jay let him a few seconds to regain strength.

_How fucking honorable..._

It didn't last long, though. As soon as those seconds passed, Sanjay charged against him once again. Sandor barely stopped him.

"Kill him, Sandor!" he heard Arya shouting. All around him, people were yelling that.

He hissed in pain when the Blue Jay's sword cut him once again, this time in the leg. The cut wasn't as deep, but it was long. The blood stained his dark breeches and made a small red pool on the floor. From the corner of his eye, he could see the worried faces of the lords and everyone else. Arya was horrified, and even Daenerys had stood up from her throne. Cersei, on the other hand, had started laughing like a madwoman. Perhaps she was really mad, or it was just that she found her fate far too sweet.

Sandor fell on his knee because of his wound, but he stopped Sanjay's sword once again. His sword nearly gave in, because of the disadvantage of his position, but he managed to keep Sanjay Waters at bay. Using all his strength, he pushed the Blue Jay back with his sword and he stood up. Right after he did so, he slammed his elbow violently on the bird-shaped helm, causing it to slam also into the man's face. Sandor heard a muffled cry of pain coming from the holes in the helm. Sandor attacked him with his fist once again, punching the man once in the stomach, leading the man breathless, and then he hit him in the head again. The helm might be there, but it crashed against the face of the man and it was painful enough.

" _HOUND! HOUND! HOUND! HOUND! HOUND!"_

 _"BLUE JAY! BLUE JAY!_ "

Sandor had never felt so much tension in his life. So much was at stake...

He was about to run his sword through Sanjay, but the man's sword got in the way. However, Sandor did cut a deep gash in his ribs, and a lot of blood came out. Still, things were pretty even. Sandor could feel his strength fading away...

And then it happened. His sword crashed against the side of the Blue jay's helm, causing him to drop this sword, and then he hit him with the flat side of the blade on the back of the legs, which caused the man to completely lose his balance. His body made a loud noise when it crashed against the hard floor. Sandor thought he would be deaf after hearing all the noise made by half the people in the Throne Room, all shouting in unison:

" ** _KILL HIM!_** "

He yelled, freeing all the rage that was stored inside of him. He raised his sword, ready to give the final blow...

After the fall, the Bluejay-shapped helm had fallen off the man's head, finally revealing his face. He raised his bloodstained face and stared at Sandor right before the sword cut him...

...But it never did.

Sandor's sword had stopped mid-air, his yell had been muted in his throat. He was still like a statue, and stared back at the Blue Jay with eyes wide with horror.

The Blue Jay, Sanjay Waters, wasn't a man. He was merely a boy, he couldn't be older than fifteen! Even with his huge size, almost the same as Sandor's, there was certain softness in his features that gave away how young he was, although his appearance at that moment was pitiable. His nose looked like it had been broken way too many times over his life, and his face was covered in blood that came from his mouth and nose. His black hair was wet with sweat, and more blood was staining it and ran through the side of his face, blood that came from a cut in his scalp, where the helm had violently hit him. But it wasn't that shocked Sandor...

The boy had big blue eyes...

Tully-blue eyes.


	20. My Name Is Death.

Sandor didn't know for how long he had stared into those blue eyes, all he could think of was of a day long ago, the day that Sansa had arrived to the Wall.

" _He has my eyes, blue like the skies, but he reminded me of you_."

Sansa. All he could see in that boy's eyes was his little bird...

And Cersei... That boy worked for Cersei. They had told him he was a bastard. His surname was Waters, he was a bastard of King's Landing...

_Oh gods..._

"Ned" he murmured with disbelief, but the dog-shapped helm muted the sound so no one heard him. He could still hear the shouts demanding him to kill the boy, but he wasn't listening to them.

He threw his longsword to the side. The steel made a loud noise when it fell, and everybody fell silent then, looking at Sandor with their eyes wide open. He took his own helm off, directly staring at Sanjay then. The boy was confused, but he disn't move a finger, or try to do anything to stand up and grab his sword. Sandor raised his head to look at Daenerys. He didn't say anything, but the truth was written all over his face. Daenerys understood, and she nodded. Sandor bent over a little bit and extended his arm (the left one, he couldn't move the right one anymore) towards Sanjay. The boy looked at him with mistrust and didn't move.

"It's over, boy" Sandor said, gently. It took him a great effort to speak, he felt the words caught in his throat. "I won't hurt you."

He was telling the truth, and Sanjay knew it. He raised his arm with a pained expression because of the cut in his ribs, and took Sandor's hand with his. Sandor helped him up. No one dared to say a word, the entire Throne Room was silent. That peace was broken by Cersei's frustrated scream.

"No! What are you doing! Kill him! KILL HIM!  _You stupid dog_!" she was pulling at get own hair in frustration, and to men from the Queensguard went to hold her and take her away.

"Take her to the dungeons" Daenerys was saying. "The gods have spoken their will. You shall be punished."

Cersei's screams only ceased to be heard, and then, whispers filled the entire room.

"Lord Sandor, you are hurt..." his squire spoke nevously, walking quickly to his side. "I'll call the maester immediatly..."

Sandor shook his head. "No" he rasped "him first."

He moved his head to the side to point at Sanjay, who looked as confused as Sandor's squire.

"Mi-milord?"

"You heard me! Get him to the maester and heal his wounds! If he dies I swear to all the gods old and new and from the East and Beyond the Wall, I  _will_  kill you" the man turned whiter than the White Walkers when he heard that, and he bowed before Sandor.

"Come" he said to Sanjay, and Sandor let go of him. Before going with the squire, however, Sanjay turned towards him. He was becoming weaker with each passing second, and there wa pain reflected all over his face.

" _Why..._?" he asked. Sandor was startled at the sound of his voice. It trully showed how young he really was, contrary to his fierceness in battle.

"Just... because" Sandor said. He couldn't say the truth, not right now. He didn't even know if his suspitions were true, and if they weren't... Sandor was afraid of speaking too early, of getting his hopes up.

However, it seemed a good enough answer for Sanjay. Not that he could resist awake much longer anyways, he needed the maester. So the squire took him away from the room.

"Sandor, _what the hell_?!" Arya exclaimed angrily when she approached him, after Sanjay and the squire had left. "Why did you do that?! Why did you spare his life?!"

Sandor turned to face her. "He's... He's..."

He couldn't say it, he couldn't. Now he finally understood completely what Sansa had felt all those years ago. And he realized that it hurt more than anyone could imagine.

Arya understood. How could she not, when she was looking at Sandor straight in the face and seeing all his pain?

"No..." she whispered. "It can't be..."

"He is" Sandor said, having regained some strength in his voice. It was then when he felt a sharp pain in both his leg and arm, and he hissed.

"You have to take care of those" Arya said, looking at the cuts that Sanjay had made him during the fight. "My sister will kill me if you don't return home to her in one piece. Come, I'll go with you..."

"I don't need..." he started saying, but she cut him off in the middle of the sentence.

"You need moral support. What you have just gone through...  _Gods_ , I'm going to kill that bitch!"

He knew that Arya was referring to Cersei.

 _Did she know_  he asked himself.  _Did she know who she was making me fight against?_

Yes, of course she knew. She had raised him, after all. She probably thought that it would be a beautiful spectacle, watching father and son fight each other to the death. The mere though made him tremble with rage and fury.

They left the Throne Room. He could feel all the people staring at his back, but he didn't give a fuck. Arya accompained him to his old chambers, in which he hadn't been for fifteen years. The maester went to see him and heal his wounds. He tried to make Sandor drink milk of the poppy, but he refused.

"No" he rasped. "I need to be awake."

"Don't be stubborn, Sandor" Arya sighted, but he shook his head. No milk of the poppy.

"As you wish, milord" the maester gave Sandor a stick to bite, and he cleaned the wounds. Sandor hissed in pain, and bit hard into the stick when tenge maester started sewing. "Fuck!" he swore, though it sounded muffled because of the stick.

"Sandor, are you completely sure that it's him?" Arya asked suddenly, maybe in an attempt to distract him from the maester's work. "I mean, no one ever saw him, only Sansa..."

" _Buz Cerseh tohk 'im..._ " he couldn't speak properly with the stick still on his mouth, but he couldn't spit it out either. He would bite his own tongue off because of the pain. He slammed his fist into the bed, startling the maester. "Fujhkin' buhgerin' 'ells!"

"I'm sorry, milord!"

"Don't act like a little girl, Sandor" Arya said. In any other moment she would have mocked Sandor, but in that moment she could not do it. She was still in shock. "How... how are you so sure? There are thousands of boys his age, it could be a coincidence..."

Again, Sandor shook his head, both to say "no" and to take the sweat that was falling from his forehead away from his eyes.

"No..." the maester stopped sewing the wound of the leg, so Sandor spit out the stick. It fell on his lap. "His eyes. You haven't seen his eyes, Arya. They're Sansa's. They are the eyes of a Tully."

"Are you sure...?"

It was crazy, he knew it. No one had ever seen the babe, there were no witnesses of his birth! Sansa had said that Ned was born while she was on the run, in the Riverlands, in an inn. But that inn wasn't there when they went to find it. And everybody said that Joffrey was in the Kingswood at that time. Nothing made sense!

But those eyes...

"I have to see him" Sandor said. The master stopped him from getting off the bed.

"There's still another wound to heal, milord! And you must rest."

"I don't want to rest!" he barked. "Get on with it!"

It didn't hurt as much when the maester sewed the wound in Sandor's arm, though it was deeper than the one in the leg. He was too furious and also anxious to feel pain. He could not stop thinking about the boy, Sanjay... Sandor's sword had cut him deeply in the ribs, he must be in a hell of pain right at that moment. Sandor had to take a deep breath to calm himself down. Those big blue eyes kept coming back to his mind.

"I'm going to kill Cersei... Make sure that no one touches her before I get to her" he muttered to Arya. "I want to get my hands around her neck and snap it myself!"

"You deserve as much" Arya nodded, getting up and walking to the door. "I'm going to tell Daenerys, before she throws Cersei as food for her dragons" then she made a face, like if there was dung under her nose. "The poor things would probably get an indigestion..."

She left the chambers, and Sandor was left alone with the maester while the old man did his job. It wasn't long until all of Sandor's wounds were sewed.

"You shouldn't make any harsh moves or a big effort until it's fully healed" the maester said while he was putting some bandages in Sandor's arm and leg. "You should rest..."

But of course, Sandor didn't listen to him. He stood up from the bed, grunting as he did so. The wounds were still painful. He left the chambers without saying anything and walked thought the halls of the Red Keep. He had no idea where to go, because he didn't know where they had taken Sanjay. He was lucky when he crossed paths with a knight from Storm's End.

"You!" he called p, and the knight stopped walking and looked at him.

"Milord?"

"The boy, the Blue Jay, where is he?"

"They took him to Maegor's Holdfast, my lord."

Maegor's Holdfast, perfect. As soon as Sandor got that information, he left the knight there by himself and started walking in that direction as fast as his injured leg allowed him. He hissed inn pain and slowed down, not wanting to rip open the wound again. That would be nasty, and the sooner he healed, the sooner he could return home.

There was no one there when he reached the chambers to which they had taken the injured boy, and the door was unlocked. Not even a maester was inside the room, he had left a while ago. But the one person that was there was the boy.

Sanjay's face looked very peaceful when he slept. His eyes were closed, his features relaxed, and his breathing was soft but deep at the same time. He definitely didn't look like the Blue Jay warrior.

Sandor walked closer to him, very silently, not wanting to wake him up. He couldn't take his eyes off Sanjay... It was a miracle. The boy was a miracle. He did look a lot like Sandor, specially when his eyes were closed, but Sansa's blood had made him handsome. He had a totally different look now that the blood was cleaned off him. The wound in the scalp wasn't bad at all, it had just bled a lot (like all head wounds). Without all that blood on him, Sanjay was just a boy. An incredibly tall boy for his age, but still a boy nonetheless.

The wound in his ribs had also been sewed, and it was covered with a white bandage that would soon need to be changed. Sandor felt worst than ever when he saw it.

_Gods, I could've killed him. I was about to kill him!_

He took once step closer, and Sanjay's voice stopped him.

"Don't you dare take another step." He hadn't been asleep at all. Sandor froze where he stood, and Sanjay opened a single blue eye to look at him. He recognized him immediatly. "Oh, it's you. I thought that it would be one of those noisy maids again, or the maester... Bloody fool didn't know how to properly sew a wound. I refused to drink milk of the poppy in fear that I might wake up with a limb missing or something."

He didn't speak to Sandor as how someone else would speak to him after almost killing each other. He wasn't bitter or anything, his voice sounded completely normal and matter-of-factly.

"How are you?" Sandor asked Sanjay. The boy shrugged, and that made a slight expression of pain appear briefly in his face.

"I've had worse" he said, lowering his gaze to look at the wound in his ribs. "Like an arrow in the shoulder. Now,  _that_  is a real bitch!"

Sandor couldn't help it and he grinned. The boy sounded just like him when he was his age, thought he lacked the rage that Sandor had had. Sanjay was more calm and careless. He was talking to Sandor as if her were an old acquaintance.

 _He understands that war is war. We had to fight before, but that was only then. He doesn't hold a grudge._ Sandor was impressed by Sanjay's apparent wiseness.

"You've been in a lot of battles, I guess then" he commented, and Sanjay nodded.

"Do you think that Cersei Lannister would have allowed me to fight against you if I hadn't?" Sanjay snorted. "I've been fighting ever since I could pick up a weapon by myself. She wouldn't risk her neck with anyone else."

"Even after what happened in the Vale" Sandor pointed out. Sanjay didn't seem to be bothered by the comment. He even seemed to find it funny.

"You bloody bastards fell on us in the middle of the night like a pack of mad wolves. In fact, a bloody wolf  _did_  fall on us."

Bran, he was talking about Bran. Had he known? Had that friend of his, Jojen, seen Sanjay in his green dreams?Sandor would have to ask him. Then he noticed something.

"You don't seem upset about losing the war. Your lady is going to be executed" he was scared to hear Sanjay's reaction to that. It would be very difficult to get close to him if his loyalty wad with the lions.

But he was mistaken.

"Skin her alive for all I care" Sanjay muttered. "That bitch hates me, anyway. She's been spending half her life making sure that mine is a living hell. That's what started the rumor that I was a Baratheon bastard, in the first place..."

"Are you?" Sandor asked without even thinking. He wanted to be sure, completelly sure...

"No. I asked her myself, and she told me that my father was a drunken traitor and my mother a dishonored whore."

Sandor breathing stopped. There wasn't any doubt anymore, it was really him... Sanjay was  _Ned_. Sanjay was his  _son_.

Sandor saw red then. How had she... How had that bitch dared to keep his son hidden all that time! How had she dared to drag him into a war against his own people?!  _Against his own family_?!

_My son... I almost killed my son..._

The realization of what he had been about to do made him sick. He had tried to kill his own son in order to avenge him. If the helm hadn't fallen off... He didn't want to imagine what would have happened then.

"Your mother wasn't a whore, I can promise you that" he rasped, and Sanjay's eyes went wide open. He eyed Sandor with certain and sudden mistrust.

"How do you know that...?"

Should he tell him? Sandor wanted to tell him. He wanted to hug Sanjay for the first time and tell him that he was his father. That he was sorry, that they had looked for him... But Sandor didn't say anything. He needed to know Sanjay better first, gain his trust, see how his real personality was. He needed to know if he had somehow become a Lannister during all those years. There would have been no denying the truth if Sanjay had known who he was, but clearly he didn't; everybody in the Seven Kingdoms knew Sandor Clegane because of his terrible burns. Sanjay had never heard about him, other that from the times that Cersei Lannister had cursed him.

So Sandor didn't tell him the truth. It wasn't the right moment.

"I knew her, and your father. You have her eyes" he simply said. Hopefully, it would be enough for Sanjay and he wouldn't demand to know anything else.

Sanjay was thinking. He seemed to come to a realization.

"That's why you didn't kill me" he whispered, finally understanding. Sandor tensed, thinking that maybe Sanjay had realized all the rest of the truth, but he didn't. "I thought you hadn't because I was just a boy. You looked as if you had seen a ghost."

Sandor didn't say anything. Sanjay stared away from him, sumerging in a world of thought. It was the first time that Sandor had seen the boy appearing vulnerable, apart from when he was swordless and bleeding on the floor. Sanjay was trying to find words, to ask something. He was having a hard time doing so.

"Are they... Are they still alive?" something in his expression revealed that he had never asked such a question. He probably accepted long ago that his life was how it was, an that he was a parentless bastard and he couldn't change that.

Sandor didn't know how to answer without giving away the truth or provoking Sanjay to ask more questions. "It's a very long story. Once you are better, I... I will tell you about them."

Sanjay seemed to be fine with that decision, for he didn't say anything. There was an awkward silence during which Sandor looked down at Sanjay, while the boy stared at an empty spot in front of him, lost in thought. Sandor started to feeling uncomfortable, so he walked towards the window, dragging his wounded leg in a funny way behind him so that it wouldn't hurt as much. He looked out of the window, into the city. The sun was about to set in the west, and it's light was bathing the kinglands in an intense red glow, like a mantle of blood. Sandor had seen a lot of blood for the day... but not enough.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked Sanjay in a sharper tone than before, not looking at the boy, though he sensed him boy raising his head and moving it to the side to be able to look at the man. "I'll call the maids right away if there is anything that you require. You'll get anything you want.

"No. Thank you, my lord... You have already been kind enough."

 _He curses and fights and kills like me, but he is still courteous like his mother_ Sandor thought to himself, amused. Really, that boy was really a miracle.

But the thought of his little bird just made the rage inside of him burn with more intensity. He was still thirsty for blood.

"Just call if you change your mind" he said before turning around and leaving the chambers. He walked quickly, ignoring the awful pain in his thigh. It was easy to ignore it, since the pain inside his chest was much stronger by far. He took the steps down Maegor's Holdfast, and then more steps, and more... Until he reached the cells. There were several levels of cells in the Red Keep, so he went to the lowest, darkest and coldest one. If he knew the Queen good enough, he was sure she had put the prisoner there. At least, that's what Sandor would have done.

He was pleased to learn that he hadn't been wrong. Cersei Lannister was in the deepest, smallest cells of them all. It made the poor hole in which she had locked Eddard Stark years ago look like the king's chambers. Of course, there were two guard at the door. They reacted when they saw Sandor approaching them, but once they saw his burns and recognized him they put away their weapons. Apparently, Daenerys had left orders that no one could enter the cell, except Sandor. he made a mental note to personally thank her for that  _kindness_ later.

They had a torch, so Sandor could see once he entered the cell (he had refused to take the torch on his own hand, he wasn't going to touch anything that was burning) and he contemplated the pitiful spectacle that was unfolding there.

Cersei's hair was a bigger mess than it had been before, during the trial, like if she had been pulling at it for hours and crashing her head against the rock wall in desperation. She was shaking frenetically and chewing at her own nails while mumbling under her breath, way too fast for Sandor to understand anything.

Yes, it was a pitiful spectacle… but Sandor found it sweet, and grinned enjoying it.

Cersei saw him with swollen red eyes, and backed away from him into the wall. She crawled into the darkest corner and curled herself into a ball, trying to become small and unnoticeable. It only made Sandor smile more, and more cruelly than before.

"For years, Sansa has had to endure people telling her that she was crazy, telling her that she saw and remembered things that didn't happen" he rasped, his voice full of rage, despite his grin. "All because of what you and your despicable little shit of a son did. And now here you are… crazier than a fucking goat."

Cersei was still mumbling to herself under her breath, and Sandor managed to pick up a word that she was saying.

"Death?" he said, louder. "You want to die, bitch? It's what you fucking deserve. "

"You can't… harm me…" she mumbled, a little bit louder than before. It the cell hadn't been silent as a crypt, Sandor would not have heard her. "You didn't win… the trial by combat… No one… died…"

He felt as if the rage came bursting out of him like in an explosion of wildfire. He bent over to grab Cersei violently with his good arm, and he slammed her against the wall while she screamed. She was scared, and she had hit her head. Sandor never hurt women, ever in his life… But there could be an exception.

"YOU KNEW WHO HE WAS!" he roared, infuriated. Cersei didn't cease sobbing and shaking, it was pathetic. There was nothing left of the bold woman of years ago. "YOU KNEW THAT HE IS MY SON! AND YOU CHOSE HIM!"

Cersei took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She was still shaking, but no more tears flowed from her eyes. Sandor was incredulous when she grinned, just as he had mere moments ago.

"It would have been funny… wouldn't it?" she said, laughing a little at the end like a little girl. "My little spies told me tales of how Sansa Stark was looking all over the world for her little child… And how she had almost gone mad when she realized that… that it was all a lie! That the boy had never lived, that it was all a trick of her mind!" Cersei's laugh was hysterical now. "It would have been the perfect surprise, wouldn't it…? Her precious Ned, slaying her beloved husband to safe my life… But of course, Sanjay had to go and spoil everything… He is a lot like his traitor mother in that" she spit the last words, and Sandor shook her violently again. The back of her head hit the wall again, and she cried in pain.

"How is it possible?" Sandor hissed, his face at mere inches from Cersei's. "We searched everywhere, asked everyone! No one ever saw Ned, no one even knew of him! Sansa said that he was born at an inn…"

"An inn that isn't there anymore" Cersei finished saying for him. "Yes, that was my Joffrey's idea. I didn't think that it was necessary, but he had vowed that Sansa would never see her little bastard again… So he ordered the Kingsguard to kill everyone at the inn and burn it down. Then he killed the knights. They were useless anyways, they only served to hit little girls, and Sansa was on her way to Clegane Keep with your brother. He replaced then with better knights, and gave your precious bastard to a maid that kept him hidden… And Sansa never saw the boy again… Joffrey would have been so, so happy…"

There it was again, that crazy laugh and little girl giggles that came from the back of her throat. It was driving Sandor crazy. He wanted to smash her fucking head in.

"Well, your plan failed" he hissed. "I found Ned, both of us survived… And I'm going to take him home, to Sansa. I'm sure the corpse of your precious Joffrey will love that."

"Why are you always going back to her like a lost puppy? How are you even sure that her child is yours? Remember, she was married to Gregor…"

Sandor didn't know what stopped him from slapping her right then. It had taken many years to have such control over his temper.

"Don't try it, Lannister, it won't work. I know that he is my son, there is no denying it."

Cersei understood that Sandor was speaking the truth, there was no way of making him doubt of it. So she tried something different, and much more daring. She raised her hand and put it against his chest.

"You are a smart man, Sandor Clegane… And strong, and brave… You deserve so much more than what you have… Why settle with being a cripple's bannerman, when you could have a kingdom? Or better yet, the entire world…" Cersei moved closer to Sandor, speaking softly, leaving behind her mad look and mumbles. Her voice was seductive, irresistibly so… "I could give it to you…"

Sandor's hand smacked her on the side of her face with such force that she literally flew to the side and fell on the hard rock floor, landing on a lot of stinking shit. She couldn't even move or scream. Sandor stared down at her with disgust.

"I never thought you could fall so low…"

Finding no need to say anything else, he turned around. He left the cell, but right after the guards closed the door he heard Cersei's voice through the bars; she had started laughing again. However, it wasn't a normal amused laugh. It was the same evil and twisted laugh that she had laughed when she thought that Sanjay was going to kill Sandor hours ago. Sandor froze, and she spoke.

"Poor, poor Hound… He thinks his dreams will become true, like in the songs! He thinks his family will be back together, at least for one time… Poor dog, how heartbroken he's going to be when he knows the truth…"

"What are you talking about?" he barked, turning around to face Cersei through the bars of the cell door.

"You got Sanjay back, yes… You will take the little bastard home to Winterfell, but you won't be happy, and neither will Sansa… None of you will ever see all your children together. Never."

Then she finally lost it, and started laughing again like a madwoman. But Sandor didn't stay there to listen to her anymore; he ran through the dungeons as fast as his wounded leg allowed him, and when up the stairs as fast as an arrow. He stopped abruptly when he nearly clashed against his squire.

"My lord!" the boy asked. He was carrying a rolled piece of parchment in his right hand. "A raven just arrived from Winterfell…"

"What is it?!" Sandor barked, so harshly that the squire almost jumped.

"My lord, it's your daughters."

* * *

Sansa had obeyed her husband when Sandor told her to go to Winterfell. It was true, she would be much more comfortable there than anywhere else during the time that Sandor was away, fighting the war between Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister. Though that war wasn't only of Daenerys, Cersei had attacked all of them. It was everyone's war. Finally, after so many years, the swords and the gods would decide who was the true winner. Sansa only prayed to all the gods, old and new,  
so that Sandor returned home soon and safe.

It was being hard for the girls. Catelyn, of course, hadn't noticed her father's absence, but the twins had. Barely a minute of the day passed without Alyss pouting and looking out the window of the tallest tower, waiting for the return of her father. Agnes was handeling it a bit better, in her own way... Sansa had found her once in the stables, trying to get on a horse, but she was so small that she didn't reach the saddle. Plus, she was holding a sword with both hands, and the  
weapon was so heavy that she had to hold it with notch hands and still she couldn't lift it. She was also wearing an oversized helm.

"I'm going to the war, to help Father in battle!" she had told her mother once Sansa had asked her what she was going. "I know how to use a sword! He'll come home sooner if I help him!"

Sansa had told her that she wasn't going anywhere, and Agnes had gotten angry.

"Uncle Bran was my age during the war, and he went beyond the Wall!" she proteted. "Aunt Arya was just a bit older, and she rode a dragon!"

"Uncle Bran and Aunt Arya didn't have their family, they didn't have their parents, and their home had been destroyed" Sansa said, trying to put some sense into her daughter's head.

"You have me here to take care of you, you don't need to fight. Believe me, Agnes, you never want to be in a war..."

"But who does Father have to take care of him?" Agnes asked, sad.

For a moment, Sansa had no idea had to answer to that. Then she sighted.

"Please, Agnes, come back with me... Do you want to leave your sister alone?"

Agnes shook her head, so Sansa took the helm off her, and the little girl let go of the sword too before hugging her mother. She was a strong kid, but she sobbed this time.

"I miss him, Mother..."

"I miss him too" Sansa whispered. "But your Father is a fierce warrior, and he never lies. He said he will come back, and that he will."

Finally, that seemed to be a good enough statement for Agnes to stop crying, and she smiled. She completelly trusted her father, and she knew that he would keep his word, so she agreed to go back inside the castle with Sansa.

It had been over a month since Sandor rode off to war with his men to join the other Stark bannermen. Sansa counted the days silently in her head, and kept praying every night. She had received a raven weeks ago, saying that her brother Bran had won the battle at the Vale, and that Sandor had gone with his men to King's Landing after being summoned by the Queen. That worried Sansa terribly, but then she read the reason behind Sandor's summoning.

_**They have captured Cersei** _ **Lannister.**

Sansa could not have been more satisfied. She wasn't a cruel person, she never had, but she wished nothing more than to see Cersei's head rolling, just like her father's had on the steps of the Sept of Baelor. Sansa wanted to ride to King's Landing to be there when that happened, but she wouldn't make it to the capital in time, and it was dangerous. Plus. her place was there, with her daughters. She couldn't leave them alone. Years ago, her own mother had left her younger children in Winterfell to go to the capital with her husband, and she had never come back.

Her brother Bran had left many men behind in Winterfell to defend the castle, his sister and his nieces and the people left there, in case something happened, but for the time being things had been very peaceful. Sansa was doing a fantastic job ruling the castle. There wasn't a lady of Winterfell. Because Bran could not sire any children, he had thought that it would be completely useless to marry a girl, and he wasn't interested anyways, he could live alone. When he died, Winterfell would pass to another Stark, the son of one of his siblings, probably Rickon's second son. Sansa's presence in Winterfell was very welcome by everybody, and all the men and the knights loved Agnes, Alyss and Catelyn. They brought joy to the place in those hard times.

"It won't be long until Lord Bran comes back with everyone else" a knight told Sansa that night during dinner. Everyone had gathered in Winterfell's dining room, where Sansa had seated in the place that belonged to her brother when he was there. She listened to the knight with great interest. "After Cersei Lannister is dead, the war will be over. I have never seen a war so that lasted such a short time, even though Cersei had an enormous army."

"Well, but that's a good thing" Sansa replied, smiling and taking a sip from her cup of wine. "The gods are just and know that she deserved to lose. Again."

"That is quite true, milady"

The conversation was interrupted by Catelyn's cries. Her wetnurse was sitting in the closest table to Sansa's, and she was trying to silence the little baby. Usually, Catelyn would have been sleeping already, but that night was the exception because Sansa felt uneasy having her cry away from her when she had spent the entire day crying. No one knew why, Catelyn was just having a bad day. Alyss and Agnes, on the other hand, had already gone to sleep.

"Give her to me" she said to the wetnurse after standing up from her chair and walking over to the young woman. The wetnurse gave the baby to Sansa, and Sansa cooed Catelyn in her arms. The baby was silenced immediately.

"She wants her mother" the knight pointed out the obvious, and sansa smiled.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" she asked to her baby in a soft voice. The baby was looking at her with her grey eyes wide open.

There was a big fuss suddenly outside the dining room. Sansa turned around to look at the door; she could hear loud voices and shouts and people struggling at the other side of it. Everybody was staring a when it burst open after a man kicked it, and three knights of Winterfell walked inside the dining room, now silent (the bards had stopped playing music). They were dragging a stranger with them, a man that looked like a commoner and was trying to get rid of the knights.

"What is going on here?" Sansa asked, raising her voice to be heard.

"We caught him in the hallways of the castle, lady Sansa" one of the knights said. "He won't say what he was doing here. Look."

He forced open the man's mouth. His tongue had been cut off.

"Maybe he was trying to steal food" it wasn't such an uncommon thing. Many desperate and hungry commoners tried to sneak into the castle to grab a piece of bread to take into their mouths. She wasn't a cruel woman, she would give food for the man if he was hungry, there was enough for everyone.

"He wasn't in the kitchens, milady, he was near the stairs that led to the chambers" the second knight told her.

Sansa frowned.

She returned Catelyn to the wetnurse and walked around the tables to go where the knights were with the man. He was looking at her with fear and eyes wide open.

"Did he try to steal anything? Did he have any weapons?" she remembered the time that she found out that a man had tried to kill Bran. It was the reason that her entire family got in all that trouble in the first place.

"No, lady Sansa" the last knight said. "But he had this… It's for you"

He was holding a small piece of parchment in his hands. Sansa frowned even more.

 _For me?_  she wondered what that meant, and she took the piece of parchment in her hands. She froze when she saw that it has the Lannister seal on it.

She unrolled the parchment. There was only one line written on it with black ink.

_**Did you really think that you could be happy again, little dove?** _

_**Queen Cersei** _ **Lannister.**

She didn't even think before throwing the parchment to the floor and started to run. She could hear voices calling her alarmed, asking what was wrong. She ignored them and flew from the dining room, throwing herself into the hallways and racing towards the stairs that led to the tower of the chambers, where the man had been found. She had never moved so fast in her life, and she reached the top of the stairs breathless but she didn't stop even for a second to rest. Her mind was only fixated on one thing, Alyss and Agnes.

They slept on different chambers, not far from Sansa's. The first one that she reached was Alyss' room, and she opened the door abruptly.

"Alyss!" she gasped, looking all over the room for her daughter. The light of the candles allowed her to see that the little auburn-haired girl was sleeping in her bed, but Sansa almost screamed.

There, raising over the sheets of the bed that were covering her daughter, was a cobra with it's neck ribs expanded. It was staring fixedly at Alyss while it hissed. It had it's mouth open, showing it's poisonous and deadly fangs.

Sansa acted immediately, without caring if the snake bit her. She didn't care about death, if it meant saving her child, contraty to what she hadn't done fourteen years ago. In a second, she was at Alyss' bedside, while the snake still hissed and prepared to attack. The next second, Sansa had fiercely grabbed the snake by the neck, impeding the deadly animal to throw itself headfirst at the child. Sansa screamed (not because she had been bitten, but because of the adrenaline that was filling her up at that moment) and threw the cobra against the wall. It hissed furiously once it hit the floor. Again, Sansa acted as quikly as before. She grabbed the first object that she could get a hold of- a heavy and voluminous book that was resting on her daughter's bedside table titled History and Lore of Westeros- and smashed the snake's head against the floor with the book. Sansa didn't lift it up, she just stood up and stepped on the book, further smashing the head of the snake beneath it.

The knights appeared in the room right then, just as Alyss suddenly woke up. She looked at her mother with sleepy and confused eyes.

"Mother…?" she yawned.

Sansa's breath was agitated, and her shoulders were shaking. She raised her eyes to meet the stare of the knights, who had gone pale after seeing the dead snake and understanding what had happened.

" _Bloody hells_!" one of then cursed, and turned to the other ones as he drew his sword. "Go to lady Agnes' chambers! Now!"

Two men ran to obey the order. Agnes room was right next to Alyss', and Sansa heard the knight shouting curses. Then she heard the sound of steel against rock, and moments later, she saw them pass in front of the open door carrying a beheaded viper.

"Agnes!" she cried, and the little girl appeared running in the room. Sansa hugged her, and she moved over to Alyss' bed to hug her other daughter too while she cried of relief.

The knights searched the entire room looking for more snakes or anything else that the man could have placed there, but they found nothing. Sansa ordered for the man to be taken to the dungeons to await his punishment, and she put her twin daughter to sleep in the bed. She stayed there by their side until they fell asleep hugging each other; one of her men also stayed by the door, guarding them in case anything else happened. Sansa was trying to control her anger. It was all directed towards Cersei Lannister.

"Ser, bring me paper and ink, and tell the maester to prepare the fastest raven. It will fly tonight to King's Landing" she said in a low voice so that she wouldn't wake up the girls.

"As you wish, milady" the knight said, bowing his head before going to carry her orders. When he returned, he brought paper and ink as she had requested. Sansa moved to the table and started writing in silence. When she was finished she sealed the letter and handed it to the knight.

Once the knight left again to give the letter to the maester as she had ordered, Sansa went back to the bed and laid down beside Alyss and Agnes while thinking of what could have happened if they hadn't found the man, if she had arrived seconds later…

Cersei Lannister's face kept appearing in front of her, but Sansa didn't snap. She knew exactly what she was going to do…

 _I'm not done with you, Cersei_ " she thought to herself. " _But once I am… you are going to **beg**  to die_.


	21. Don't You Worry Child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've noticed that there are some grammar mistakes and random words that don't make sense around there. Sorry about that, it's just that I write this on an IPod, and you know autocorrect :S  
> Enjoy reading this! :D

The guards had to take out their swords to stop Sandor from throwing himself after Cersei. He would kill her with his bare hands if he managed to get to her.

"LET ME THROUGH!" he roared, infuriated. "I'LL KILL THE BITCH! MY DAUGHTERS! HOW COULD YOU, LANNISTER?!

Cersei didn't say anything. She was kneeling in front of the throne, trembling. Her left eye was swollen and closed, and of a nasty purple color. That was Arya's work, for sure. She was also there, and when she saw her goodbrother and the state of rage in which he was, she walked towards where the guards where trying to stop him.

"Move!" she ordered to the guards, pushing them to the side. Then she took Sandor's face between her hands, not very gently, and made him look down at her. Her Stark-grey eyes were dead serious. "Sandor, look at me! Calm down! She's going to be punished!"

" _Get out of my way, Arya_!" he barked, but she didn't let go of him. She seemed to be about to smack him in the face to make him come into his senses.

"Sandor, you are going to make it worse!" she exclaimed. Sandor pointed a menacing finger towards Cersei, who was hiding her face behind a curtain of hair.

"That...  _monster_... She tried to kill my daughters sending an assassin with snakes... putting them in their beds... She tried to murder my daughters, innocent girls of seven..." he was almost unable to speak, and with each work that he pronounced his body shook, as if it caused him pain to speak them. " _Your nieces, Arya_!"

He raised his eyes to look at Daenerys, who was quietly sitting in her throne, watching all the events unfolding before her eyes. Sandor's expression in his eyes was both of plea and rage.

"Are you going to stop a father from having his revenge?!" he bellowed. "You know how it feels, your Grace! You know how it feels to have your child taken away from you! They already took one of my children away from me, now they have tried to take all of them!"

Daenerys' eyes were cold as ice. Her entire face seemed made of stone, she didn't move even one tiny muscle on it. She was just listening, and deciding...

"I don't care what you fucking have to say!" Sandor roared, losing his patience. He pushed Arya to the side with more strength than he had wanted to, making her fall on her side to the floor and a low whimper escaped her lips when her body hit the hard surface, and Sandor also punched the guards out of his way. He was ready to take out his sword and chop Cersei's head right off, when Daenerys suddenly spoke.

"It is not my right to decide Cersei Lannister's future" she said, making Sandor stop. He frowned, not knowing what she meant, so Daenerys explained herself. "You are right, Sandor Clegane, I know how it feels to have your child taken away from you. I know the pain that a  _mother_  feels, and because of that, I believe that the person best fit to punish Cersei Lannister is your lady wife, Lady Sansa Stark."

"NO!" Cersei Lannister cried, looking at Queen Daenerys with eyes wide with fear. It made Sandor smirk.

 _She knows what will happen to her if the little bird gets a hold of her..._ he thought with satisfaction. He knew what a strong woman Sansa had become, the little frightened and delicate child that she had once been was no more. Sansa had killed Westeros' most feared man with her own hands, and with those same hands she had saved her daughter from a certain and horrible death just days ago. If she got those same hands on Cersei, the biggest piece that was going to be left of the former Queen was going to be the size of an ant.

_Yeah, let the little bird decide what she wants to do with this bitch. I will certainly enjoy it!_

He felt a renewed respect for Daenerys for the choice that she had made, and bowed his head to her, but he was still burning with rage when he lowered his eyes to stare at Cersei.

 _I'm going to hear you scream, and it's going to be the sweetest sound that has ever filled my ears..._ he thought to himself.

He turned round to look at Arya, realizing for the first time that he had brutally thrown her to the floor. She looked at him with concerned eyes, not because she was hurt or scared or anything like that, but because she wasn't sure if he was feeling okay. That made Sandor sigh, he hadn't wanted to act that way. When rage and fury blinded him, he was a big brute. He offered her a hand to help her up.

"Sorry" he apologized when she was on her feet again. She shook her head lightly, not giving it any importance.

"It's alright..." she said, smiling a little bit to cheer him up. It really impressed Sandor to see how much Arya's feelings towards him had changed over the years, treating him now as if he was one of her brothers.

Arya patted him in the back, and then shot a glance full of disgust towards Cersei. "Will Sansa come here? Or will she await at Winterfell?"

"Your sister had requested that the prisoner is taken to her to your brother's castle" Daenerys announced. "She hasn't informed me any further of what she intends to do with her. But knowing Sansa, Cersei Lannister will pay for her crimes just as she deserves."

Cersei was shaking violently. Her face was wet with tears. She was hysterical.

"You will not get rid of me!" she yelled. It was pathetic. "My son will kill you all, he will! And my brothers... my brothers will come for me, they will, I know they will..."

Daenerys raised her eyebrows. "Really? After you attacked their home and plotted to murder them as well? I don't think so. In fact, Lady Sansa has invited them as guests of honor at Winterfell. She hopes that they arrive just in time to see your end."

Daenerys Targaryen then raised from the Iron Throne and started walking away.

"Take her away to the dungeons. I don't want to see or hear her anymore" she told her guards, who forced Cersei to stand up and they carried her away from the Throne Room. no one moved until they stopped hearing her whimpers and cries.

Sandor took a deep breath to relieve himself from all the tension that he had accumulated inside his chest. He turned around to look at one of his knights.

"Tell all the men that we are going back to the North tomorrow. We are heading for Winterfell, and we are taking the Lannister bitch with us."

"Yes, my lord" the knight said, bowing his head before leaving the place to go and carry out Sandor's orders.

"I'm going with you" Arya said. "I need to see my sister. Gendry is coming to meet us with Robb and Rickard, we want the children as far from the war as possible, until things calm down a little bit more. I want to be there when Cersei dies, just as she was there when my father died, and... I don't know, I think Gendry should be there too. Cersei and Joffrey are the reason that all his siblings are dead in the first place. He might not have known them, but blood is blood."

Sandor nodded, showing that he agreed with her.

"Your husband and children will be welcome, just as half the kingdom. I doubt that you are the only ones who want to see that woman pay for her sins" he rasped.

"You should go and rest" his goodsister said. "These have been very intense days..."

"They have indeed."

They said goodbye to each other before both of them went on their own way. Sandor walked through the halls towards the tower in which he was staying. But while he walked, his mind couldn't stop thinking, and it was tormenting him. He could not bare the thought of what would have happened if Sansa hadn't reached their daughter in time, if she hadn't killed the snake...

 _My strong and brave little bird..._  he mentally whispered. How he longed to go back home and kiss her! And how much he wanted to take Agnes and Alyss and Catelyn in his arms and hug them...  _My little princesses..._

He remembered the day he found out he was going to be a father... again. But it was different, because he hadn't known it when Sansa was expecting Ned, so he had never before felt the nerves in his stomach and the incredible, overwhelming happiness that poured from every cell in his body. He remembered how Sansa looked when she told him, so afraid... She hadn't even been able to speak!

" ** _Sandor_**..." she had murmured, covering her belly with her hands, and Sandor had known. He had thought that he could never be as happy as he was in that moment, but he had been wrong. When months later he had not one, but two little and perfect babies in his arms, so little that they fit in his hands, he knew that he could die happy. They were two precious gifts, born from the undying love between him and his little bird...

...and he had failed to protect them.

It was just too much, he couldn't handle it. When he reached the stairs of his tower he felt drained of energy, and he sat down on them and buried his face on his hands. He rubbed his face with them, trying to disperse the negative thoughts away from his mind. He didn't hear the steps going down the stairs and approaching him.

"Are you alright?" someone suddenly asked behind him. He turned his head and saw Sanjay standing there.

"Yes... Yes, I'm alright" he lied, but Sanjay didn't believe it. He was the worthy son of his father, sniffing out lies just like a dog smells fear.

"What did Cersei do?" he asked in a quiet tone. "I heard some knights talking... They said that you had received a letter with some... upsetting news."

Upsetting news. Sandor almost laughed at that.

 _She tried to assassinate your sisters, that's what she has done_  he wanted to say, but he disn't.

"You know about Winterfell?" Sandor asked, and Sanjay nodded. "My wife is a Stark, that used to be her home, so I sent my family there to protect them, but Cersei sent an assassin with some snakes to get rid of my daughters..."

He didn't see Sanjay turning as pale as a skeleton.

"The snakes..." he mumbled, almost unable to speak. Sandor frowned and stared at him again. "They were... They were for your daughters?"

"You knew about her plans...?"

"I'm the one that Cersei sent to get the snakes for her, back in Essos... She said that... She said that they were meant for our enemies..."

 _Fucking bitch!_  Sandor cursed in his mind. It was unbeliavable. Not only had Cersei tried to use Sanjay to kill Sandor, but she had also made him provide her the means to kill Agnes and Alyss... She evil that possesed that woman was far darker than he had imagined. Those fourteen years away from Westeros had really pushed her beyond the edge of madness...

"I'm so sorry... I'm so, so sorry, Clegane, please forgive me" he heard Sanjay whisper in a weak voice.

"Why? Why do you even care who lives and who dies?" he snapped at the boy.

"Because you spared my life! You allowed me to live, and you have watched after me since then!" Sanjay exclaimed, upset. "You are the only person that has treated me with kindness in my entire life! And now I go and I find this out! How could I not care?"

He really sounded desperate, and hurt, terribly hurt. Sanjay kept surprising Sandor even more. He could see Sansa in him at that particular moment.

"Don't worry, son, there's nothing to forgive" he told him. "My daughters are alive and well, my wife saved them. She smashed the head of the cobra with a book, can you believe that?" Sandor actually chuckled at that, and Sanjay let out a big breath of relief. "We are taking Cersei up North, to Winterfell. My wife will be responsible for punishing Cersei."

"Seems fair" Sanjay said, but Sandor hadn't finished speaking.

"Will you come with us?"

Sanjay seemed to reconsider it for a couple of seconds before shrugging.

"Aye. I don't have anywhere else to go anywhere. I have no family, I don't have a home..."

 _You do have a family_  Sandor thought, hurt.  _And you do have a home._

"Alright then" he rasped. He stood on his feet, making a big effort to rise from the stairs (his wounded leg still hurt and he limped a little). "You should get some rest, we are leaving in the morrow. Are you well enough to ride?"

Sanjay gazed down at where his own wound was, even though he could not see it beneath the clothes. He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm as good as new" he said in a careless tone. Sandor didn't trully believe it, but he didn't say anything. Sanjay helped him walk up the stairs of the tower, which took them a damned long time.

"Seven fucking buggering hells" Sandor kept mumbling all the way up. Sansa always forbade him to curse in front of the children, but he figured that Sanjay, being a warrior and all, would already know his fair share of curses.

He felt incredibly relieved once they reached the top of the stairs. The damn pain in his keg had just gotten worse, and he had also heard Sanjay grunting because of the cut in his ribs. Apart from that, he was enduring his own pain extremelly well. Sandor suddenly felt like a little crying girl next to him.

"Fuck" he cursed again, shaking his head. "I'm getting old..."

And Sanjay laughed.

* * *

His leg was much better the day after, and he didn't have as many problems to get on his destrier, Winter, as he had when climbing the stairs. The sun was rising, and Sandor's men were still preparing to leave. Sandor saw Arya getting on her own horse, and Sanjay also, who was riding a beautiful white warhorse. He was wearing again his full blue armor, and his bird-shapped helm with the beak open, so that his face was visible.

Arya approached Sandor.

"Have you told him?" she asked after making sure that the boy couldn't hear them. Sandor shook his head.

"No... I... I don't know how to do it" he admitted. He was afraid, truth be told.

"Just tell him" Arya said, looking at her nephew in the distance with a smile on her face. "He seems to like you, even though you kicked his ass."

"That was some buggering bad luck, he was kicking mine first" Sandor rasped. "No, I need to get to know him first... See who he really is, how he really feels..."

Arya frowned. "You are afraid he might be lying? You think he's still loyal to the Lannisters?"

Sandor shrugged. "It wouldn't surprise me... He was raised by them."

"So where you, and look!" she exclaimed. "Married to a Stark and a lord in the North... Who would have known! Besides, I've been observing him. He's a lot like you and Sansa."

Sandor looked at the wagon where Cersei Lannister was locked inside. It was made of iron and it had no windows or holes, just one little door where they could pass her food and water. That way, no one that they found in the road would recognize her or hear her screams.

"Maybe you should ride ahead of us, go on your own" Arya said then. "I'll lead the march, I'll take your men to Winterfell. Believe me, I know the way."

"Go on my own? What do you mean?"

"Just go with Sanjay, you'll go much faster without having to wait for everybody to keep up with you, and you can get to know him better" Arya explained. "You need this, Sandor. It's been fourteen years, you deserve to finally meet your son. Really meet him."

Arya was right, and Sandor realized it. It was true, he deserved it, and she was perfectly fine of leading all the men on her own. There was just one problem.

"And leave Cersei?"

Arya grinned evilly.

"Leave Cersei alone with me... I'll take good care of her."

Sandor had to fight back a good laugh.

"Sure you will..."

He left Arya there, and rode to where Sanjay was.

"Are you ready?" he asked, and the boy nodded. "I'm leaving now, and I want you to come with me. We'll arive earlier at Winterfell if we go before everyone else."

Either because Sanjay didn't care, or because he was very used to following orders without questioning anything (just like his father had done over a decade before), the boy just nodded, showing that he was fine with that.

They left King's Landing just after the sunrise, taking the Kingsroad to march to the North. They were finally going home.

"It's a long way from here to Winterfell" he warned Sanjay. "If you need to stop and rest, just say so."

"I'm fine, really. It was nothing more than a scratch" the boy said, resting importance to his wound. He really was a tough fellow. "You miss your home?"

"I miss my family" Sandor said. He thought that he could see a shadow of envy crossing Sanjay's handsome face.

"Must be nice to have one" he murmured. "How many children do you have?"

"Four" Sandor said. "A son, two girl twins of seven, and a girl babe."

Sanjay smiled. "You must be proud. Did your son go with you to war? Or is he too young?"

 _He did go to war, but against me_  Sandor thought. It was ironic.

"I never got to meet him" he rasped.

Another shadows covered Sanjay's face, just that this time it was of pity.

"What happened...?"

So Sandor told Sanjay his story. How he had been forced to go to the Wall, how they had married his little bird to his monster of a brother, how Sansa had gone back to him, and how her son wasn't with her when she did. He left details out, so that Sanjay didn't realize that he was Ned. The boy's expression had darkened, and it was hard as stone.

"I understand why you hate the Lannisters so much" he said in a low voice. He seemed...  _angered_. "Your wife is very brave, doing what she did. I look forward to meeting her. And I'm very sorry about your son."

Sandor didn't say anything, he was finding that situation extremelly difficult. He wanted to tell Sanjay the truth, but he couldn't! Not yet...

Suddenly, a question popped into his mind.

"Who named you?" he asked. Sanjay frowned.

"Huh?"

"Your name. Sanjay. Who gave it to you?" his real name was Eddard, but the boy was used to his name, so Sandor imagined that he wouldn't like to be called Ned in the future. However, Sandor didn't think that he would like calling his son by the name that Cersei fucking Lannister or that little shit Joffrey had given him.

"The woman that took care of me when I was a baby" Sanjay said. "Joffrey had commanded her to raise me, and she was good to me. She never complained about having to leave Westeros with me" the boy sighed. "She died when I was four, and that's when Cersei told the soldiers to take care of me and train me. First it was just tactics of war, strategy, learning things that I needed to know when I finally fought against a man... And at the age of seven, I started fighting."

"And killing?" Sandor hadn't really thought of asking that question, but he wanted to know how horrible his son's childhood had been.

"I was ten."

Sandor fell silent, the words reverberating inside his head. Ten. Ten fucking years old, and his son had started killing.

"How did it happen?"

"A thief stole one of Cersei's favorite necklaces, one of gold with emeralds in it. She told me to get him and punish him. And when she says ' _punish him_ ' she really means ' _kill him_ '. So I did it.

Things were worse than how Sandor had spectra them to say.  _Seven fucking hells. Little bird, I hope that you rip Cersei to pieces_  he thought. He couldn't wait to arrive to Winterfell.

They spent the rest of the day riding and sharing memories and stories. Sandor was enjoying talking to his son very much, and it seemed that Sanjay also liked talking to him. It was as if they had never fought to death, there were absolutely no bad feelings between them, an talking was being a great way of making up for all the lost years, Sandor was getting to know his son a lot better. And yes, he felt bad for the childhood that Sanjay had had to live, on the run and being an instrument of the Lannister bitch, but the more that he found out about his son, the prouder that he felt. He was a very brave and skilled boy, and of top of that, he had a gentle heart. It was practically a miracle, given his upbringing.

Night fell on them eventually, and they had to seek a place to rest; they had travelled enough for one day, it wasn't good for either one of them to push themselves beyond their current capacity. Their wounds still had to finish healing. After a couple of hours they found an inn, and after leaving their horses in the stables they walked in. There was a lot of people there, most of them drunk. The innkeeper saw them, and he recognized Sandor.

"Lord Clegane!" he exclaimed, happy to be receiving a lord in this inn and earning good coin. "How can I help you?"

"Bring some good ale for the boy and me! And get us two good rooms!" Sandor said. The innkeeper shot a surprised glance at Sanjay, just as many other people did when they saw such a huge young man, but he quickly did as told while Sandor and Sanjay sat down on an empty table. When the man brought the two cups of ale, Sanjay laughted. Sandor frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing, I was wondering if you are as good drinking as you are fighting" Sanjay said, taking the cup of ale in his hand and smirking. Sandor laughed as well.

"You want to bet, boy? I already kicked your ass once."

"I underestimated you, a mistake that I won't do twice."

So it was on. Sandor grinned, and drank the entire cup of ale, all at one, and let in on the table triumphantly. However, he found that Sanjay had finished his own cup even faster that he had. Sandor cursed under his breath while Sanjay kept his little sided smirk in his face.

"Innkeeper!" Sandor barked. "Bring us more!"

The man did as told, bringing one, two, three more cups of ale for each one. Sanjay kept drinking faster than Sandor.

_Damn boy!_

The men around them had started figuring out what was going on, and decided that the little spectacle that the huge man and the huge boy were giving was interesting enough, and soon Sandor and Sanjay found themselves surrounded by drunken men that cheered for them. It was just as when the men cheered while they were trying to kill each other during the trial by combat, just that this time they cheered every time that they drank all the ale in their cups. Sanjay burped, and an even bigger wave of cheers reverberated through the inn.

Sandor was starting to feel dizzy, and his sight was blurry. But he kept going. Sanjay was shaking his shoulders faintly, laughing silently. He was still drinking without giving any signs of being drunk.

 _Where in seven buggering hells did he learn to drink?!_ Sandor wondered, amazed. That kid could beat even the Imp in drinking he was sure of it! He wasn't even tottering on his seat, and his eyes were wide open. All Sandor could see was four ( ** _four?!)_**  big blue spheres.

"You… are  ** _not…_**  beating me in this game… boy…" he mumbled, trying to drink the next cup (he had lost count of which number it was) but the ale slipped down his chin, soaking his short black beard.

Sanjay laughed yet again before taking the full cup to his mouth and emptying it without dropping a single drop of ale. Sandor couldn't take it anymore, he felt he was about to pass out drunk. Sanjay was the winner.

"All hail Sanjay Waters, king of the ale!" some man shouted in between the crowd that had gathered around them, and their cheered even louder than before and patted the boy in the back and raised their cups to him. The innkeeper was extremely happy will all the coins that he had in his hands after that little drinking game, and seemed disappointed that it had already finished.

"Next time, I'll challenge you with Arbor wine" Sanjay said.

"Like hell!" Sandor grunted. He tried to rise from his chair and he almost fell to the floor, but three men caught him before that happened.

"Here, Lord Clegane, let us take you upstairs…" one of them said, and the three men helped Sandor to climb the stairs to the room that the innkeeper had prepared for him. Once he was safely placed inside the room, they left him alone.

It was not easy to take off a man's armor, and much less when one was drunk. Sandor cursed out loud for not having brought his squire with them, and the struggled with his heavy armor and the chainmail. He almost tripped with his own feet in the process and he fell against the wall. Seven hells, when had he become so clumsy? After much struggling, he finally got rid of his chainmail, which fell on top of the armor on the floor making a lot of noise. Sandor cursed again, and kicked the armor away from him, not realizing that he was using the injured leg. He howled in pain as the armor crashed against the floor a few feet away. He sat on the bed hissing in pain and angry at himself for being so fucking drunk, and suddenly the door of his room opened, startling him. But when he looked at the open door, he saw that it was Sanjay.

"Are you alright?" the boy asked, apparently worried. "I heard a weird noise, it startled me…"

Clearly he had heard all the armor-kicking and Sandor howling in pain because of that and he ahd come to check on the man as quickly as possible, even though he had been in the midst of undressing himself, and now Sanjay was standing there on the door with his upper body exposed. He didn't look like he was fifteen; with all that muscle, he did look like a warrior that could snap your neck in a second using only one hand. Two young maids that were most likely the innkeeper's daughters walked past behind at that moment in the hallway, giggling nervously, but Sanjay paid them no attention.

Sandor shook his head.

"I'm fine…" he muttered.

"You are drunk as a dog" Sanjay mocked him, and Sandor grunted.

"Yeah, that's what I am… Fucking shit… How in seven hells are you not on the floor, kid?"

Sanjay shrugged. "Practice, I guess. And I rarely lose in a challenge."

"Yeah, I can see that now…" Sandor was lucky that they hadn't been drinking wine. Things could have turned out a lot worse.

But he didn't regret it. It had been fun, and somehow, he had bonded more with Sanjay. At least that's what he thought.

Sanjay yawned. "I'm going to sleep… You should do that too, you look awful" he said, and he turned around to leave. That's when Sandor saw his back, and what was there, and he felt all the drowsiness suddenly leaving him all at once.

"What the fuck happened to you?!" he exclaimed, louder that he had intended to.

Sanjay stopped dead on his track, but he didn't say anything. He just stood there still as a rock in the door. Sandor stood up from the bed and walked quickly towards him, forgetting how drunk he was, how tired he was, and the pain his leg. His son's back was covered in white lines and large scars, old scars, marking the hard skin over the muscles. Sandor had seen battle scars thousands of times, and he could tell right away that those were  _not_  scars from old battles.

"Sanjay… What the hell happened to you?" he repeated himself, speaking very slowly and very clearly, clenching his teeth. Sanjay was still silent. "Sanjay, look at me! Who the fuck did this to you?

"I was wounded in a battle, back in Essos"

"Don't lie to me!" Sandor barked, and he forced Sanjay to turn aroun to look at him. His eyes at that moment were exactly like Sansa's had been a night long ago, when Sandor had also shouted at her and he had put a knife on her throat… exactly the same. It just made Sandor more furious. "Tell me the truth! What happened?!"

"I'm telling you the truth, I was wounded in a battle! They overpowered us and…!"

"I fought against you days ago, Sanjay! I saw you killing nine men,  ** _nine men_** , in  _seconds_ like if they were holding sticks instead of swords! Don't try to make me believe that you have  _ever_  lost a battle, other than the other day, because I won't believe it. You told me myself the other day that you had never lost against anyone. Now,  _what happened to you_?"

"Why do you even care?!" the boy exclaimed, and Sandor snapped.

" ** _I care because I'm…_**!" there. He had been about to say it, just like that. But he stopped himself just in time, and the words didn't leave his mouth. He took a deep breath. "I care because I have taken you under my protection, remember? And I have sworn to make the Lannisters pay for all their crimes. What happened to you, son?"

Sanjay didn't notice the way in which Sandor had said that ' _son_ '. He was too upset.

" _I tried to escape_ " he finally confessed, looking away from Sandor. He was no more than a scared kid with watery eyes at that moment. "I tried to escape… I was sick and tired of that life, of being Cersei's slave, of being her personal executioner. I didn't want to do it anymore, and I hated,  _hated_  the way in which everyone looked at me and called me ' _bastard'_ , like I was just some piece of scum… So when everyone was sleeping, I left. I tried to run, but they discovered me and they sent the dogs after me. Then they dragged me before Cersei, and I thought that she would have me killed. I was the exception of her rule on how to punish traitors."

Sandor didn't even want to keep listening that, it was just going to torture him. He feared that he would really snap this time and kill someone in the process of taking out his anger. He was regretting the choice of leaving Cersei with Arya; he should have smashed her fucking head in right then, when he had her in that cell and no one to stop him. He didn't want to keep listening to his son's words, but he didn't stop him. Sanjay's eyes were fixed on an invisible point, like if he was lost in the memory of that day.

"She said that I was a traitor, that I had traitor's blood in me, like my parents. And so I had to pay, like my parents had before me. That's why I  _hate_  knights. So she ordered her precious knights of her Queensguard to strike me with a whip, like if I was some kind of animal, or a slave… Because  _that's_  what I was. Her dog. Her slave. And there was nothing that I could do about it… until now. Until you saved me the other day by defeating me in the trial by combat."

A really dark feeling took over Sandor then, and he felt like an ice-cold breeze on the back of his neck just as his brain realized something… He grabbed Sanjay by the shoulders, and he forced the boy to look at him in the eyes again.

"Sanjay… Were you trying to get killed the other day? When I was fighting you?"

Again, Sanjay didn't say anything.

"Sanjay,  _did you let me win_?"

Slowly, the boy nodded. Sandor didn't let go of his shoulders; he just stayed there looking with disbelief at his son in the eyes.

" _Why_?" he managed to ask, his voice barely audible.

"Because I was fighting for her life" Sanjay rasped, and the look in his eyes suddenly darkened. "And I knew that if I went to hell, Cersei Lannister would follow me right after."

The boy's voice broke then. Being at a loss of words, Sandor could do nothing else than to pull him into a paternal and comforting hug that he knew his son needed. Sanjay hugged him back, leaving behind the warrior that was the Blue Jay, and he allowed himself to be just a boy then, a boy that had suffered a lot, that had been alone, and that had been lost in the dark for very long. And Sandor allowed himself to be the father that Sanjay had needed all that time but he hadn't had.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again…" he promised to his son, holding him in a tight embrace. "I'm going to take you home… Would you like that?"

Sanjay nodded, and Sandor could feel tears falling from the boy's eyes into his shoulders.

"You'll be safe there, nothing bad will ever happen to you again. I'm going to take you home."

Sanjay fell asleep on Sandor's bed later, exhausted from riding, drinking and crying. His face looked incredibly peaceful in his sleep, like if he had known no horrors in his life. Sandor covered him with a blanket, just like he always did with Alyss and Agnes when he put them to sleep, and then he sat on a chair besides the window, facing the bed.

He stayed there the entire night, keeping himself awake, watching over his son, guarding his sleep.


	22. Scars Make Us Who We Are.

They were riding on the road peacefully and in silence when suddenly Sanjay took his bow and shot an arrow to some bushes that were some feet away from the road, between the trees, but it was dark already and the bushes were hard to see with their dark green color. The arrow flew past Sandor right in front of his face, startling him. He pulled the reigns, stopping his horse, and he stared at Sanjay with a frowned face.

" _What in seven hells…?!"_  he started to shout, but Sanjay shushed him. Sandor heard something moving fast on the ground between the trees, and Sanjay shot another arrow in that direction. Then he looked at Sandor.

"Sorry" the boy apologized, and Sandor grunted. Before he could say anything, Sanjay got off his horse and walked towards the bush were he had shot the first arrow, and he bent over to be able to take his hand inside the bush. He pulled something out of the bush, and then he walked towards where he had shot the second arrow. When he went ack to where Sandor had satayed with the horses, Sanjay was holding two fat dead rabbits in his hands, both pierced by his two arrows.

"Dinner is served!" he exclaimed happily. They hadn't seen an inn in an entire day, and they were hungry. Sandor laughed.

"Good shot!" he congratulated the boy. "Bugger, how did you do that? It's fucking dark there, you can't see a bloody thing!"

Sanjay just shrugged before adding:

"I had three Dothraki warriors training me. They are the best on horseback, and in archery. They are fierce warriors too."

So that was why Sanjay was such a good warrior. No wonder, having been trained by Dothraki warriors and also knights and sellswords and everything… Sandor had to admit he was very impressed. His son could kick anyone's arse in less than a minute.

"Is there anything that you are not good at?" he wondered while he got off his horse and went to tie him to a tree, and Sanjay nodded.

"I have never jousted" he admitted, and Sandor snorted.

"Jousting… Tourneys are for fucking knights with a thirst of their so called ' _glory_ ', showing off their fancy armors and fine skills."

Sanjay narrowed his eyes though the bird-shaped helm.

"You hate knights, don't you? Just like me."

"Aye. You have the scars in your back to remind you of why you hate knights, and I have my face" after saying that, the burnt side of his face twisted, making it look more gruesome. But Sanjay didn't seem to mind. In fact, he had never looked at Sandor with disgust, or pity, or anything. He had never looked away from the horribly scarred face, not even once.

"Well, the good thing about scars is that they tell a story" Sanjay murmured, lost in thought. "They tell us who we are."

Sandor had never thought of putting it that way, but now that he did think about it, Sanjay was right.

"I was bitter and full of anger for most of my life, because of this" he said, pointing with his hand to his face. "So it isn't very good that scars are the ones to tell us who we are…"

"But they stopped you from becoming like them" Sanjay pointed out, and again, he was right. He handed the dead rabbits to Sandor. "Here, skin them. I'll make a fire to cook them."

While he collected wood and sticks and rocks for the fire, Sandor pulled out his knife and sat on a big rock to skin the animals after pulling the arrows out of them. He kept the skins, which could be used to make gloves or boots, and put them away on a bag that hanged from the saddle of Winter. Then he went back to where Sanjay already was, cooking the rabbits on a good fire. Sandor's stomach made a funny noise. Damn, he was hungry! The noise was loud enough for Sanjay to hear it, causing the young lad to smirk.

"I guess that you are missing your castle and it's fine food" he ventured to say.

"I miss my family more. I would give anything to be with my wife, Sansa, and my daughters. Alyss and Agnes are always asking me to play with them. Once little Catelyn grows up, they'll start torturing her instead. Sansa is hoping that Catelyn turns out to be a lady, because Agnes is a tomboy just like her aunt, and she's dragging Alyss down that path too."

By talking a bit about his family everyday, Sandor was making Sanjay to get accustomed to them, so when he finally met them, it would feel more like he knew them already. It would make everything easier. Sandor couldn't deny that he was extremely nervous, and scared. How would Sansa react? She had been looking for her son for years, trying to convince everyone that she wasn't crazy, that the Lannisters had really stolen her child… No one believed her, and Sandor felt guilty. Bringing their son back to her was his way of saying how sorry he was. He was sure that Alyss and Agnes would be delighted with an older brother. But Sanjay? Sanjay was the one that really made him nervous. How would he react?

Sandor had lied for the first time in years, saying that he only knew his parents, and nothing else. He hadn't really lied, he just hadn't told Sanjay the entire truth. That he wasn't Sanjay Waters, he was Eddard Clegane. Sandor knew that Cersei had only told the boy lies about his parents, that Sansa was a whore and Sandor a traitor. Well, Sandor was a traitor indeed, in his own way. He had told the king to go and fuck himself, and he had been caught fucking that king's betrothed. If he hadn't been so stupid and had controlled himself, then everything that happened later would not have happened. Sandor would not have gone to the Wall, and Sansa would not have been married to his monster of a brother, and Sanjay would not have been taken away from his mother's arms…

…But then Sandor frowned, realizing something that he hadn't before. Sansa was already pregnant before he was caught. According to the timing of Sanjay's birth, Sansa had been pregnant since their first time together, that day that she was allowed to go out on an outing with him as her guard. They would have been caught anyway, once everyone realized that Sansa wasn't getting her moon blood, and she would have started getting bigger and bigger. What would they have done then? Would Sansa had drunk moontea, if they had known?

 _No, she would have never done that_  Sandor realized in silence. He knew his little bird all too well. She would have never gotten rid of her own child to avoid being caught. She would have lied, saying that her child was fathered by someone else just to save Sandor. Maybe she would have even dared to try to escape with him before it was too late, somewhere far away…

 _We could have raised him together_ he thought as he watched his son finishing cooking the rabbits in the fire.  _We could have sailed to Pentos or Braavos of somewhere else in the fucking East, we could have lived there peacefully, and Sansa would have had her child with her always. He would have grown up happy, and I would have been the one to teach him how to ride and how to use a sword, not a fucking knight or a buggering Dothraki. He would not have been turned into a fucking killing machine, the Lannister's new dog…_

But then, maybe that wouldn't have worked either. They would have lived in fear of being caught. They would have most likely been caught and given away to the Lannisters. Everything would have been worse then, and everything would have been very different. Sandor would have been killed for real. Sansa, who knows what would have happened to her. And Sanjay? Sandor didn't even want to think about it. Arya and Gendry, and Jon and Ygritte, they would have had very different lives too.

 _Stop thinking about it, the past can not be changed!_ Sandor angrily thought to himself.  _Things happened how they happened, and there's no going back. At least we have Ned-_ Sanjay _\- back. We are all alive. We won the war, twice. That's all that matters. We are all going to be together soon…_

And then everything would be ok.

His thoughts were interrupted by Sanjay, who was handing him one of the roasted rabbits.

"Here" he said. He had already taken a bite out of his rabbit. "It's very good, trust me."

Sandor took a bite out of the roasted rabbit, and he had to agree with Sanjay, it was very good. He ate it quickly, wanting to satisfy his hunger.

"Is it going to be long before we reach Winterfell?" Sanjay asked. He was eating his own rabbit slowly.

Sandor nodded. "Aye. What we've travelled is only half of the way, and the worst part is yet to come. We have to cross the Neck"

They were still in the Riverlands, not far east from the Twins. They would have to quicken their pace if they wanted to arrive soon, and Sandor was growing impatient, thought he could not deny that he was enjoying spending time with his son. Sanjay had not once complained of the travelling and the road. He seemed to be enjoying that time also, taking a chance to explore the country that was so different from Essos.

Sandor threw the rabbit's bones away, far from where they were sitting. Sanjay did the same with his, and sighed. Then he yawned. It was already very late at night, and Sandor would have felt bad asking him to ride more on that night. He too was exhausted.

"Let's stay here for the night" he said. They had no other option as there were no inns close to where they were.

"Alright" Sanjay was fine with the idea. "Why don't you sleep? I'll keep watch for a few hours to make sure that there are no outlaws or thieves around.

"You need to sleep too" Sandor complained, but the boy just shook his head.

"I'm fine, really. You sleep, I'll wake you up in a couple of hours."

However, Sandor just stood there for a couple of seconds, while some dark thoughts started coming to him mind. He remembered Arya's words when she had asked him if he did not trust Sanjay, if he thought he was still loyal to the Lannisters, if he suspected the boy had lied. He didn't want to think that way, so he didn't understand why he was having those thoughts so suddenly. Surely his son wouldn't slit his throat in his sleep and run away back to Cersei Lannister, would he? No, what he had told him the other day was the truth. He hated Cersei. He was done being her slave.

His face must have been as readable as an open book, because Sanjay smirked.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you in your sleep" he assured Sandor. "I wouldn't need to do it then, I could just have killed you ages ago if I had wanted too."

There, there was another truth. Sandor laughed softly while he laid down on the ground.

"Alright… a few hours only. Good night."

"Good night" Sanjay said. Sandor closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The sound of footsteps woke him up. He wasn't a heavy sleeper, but he had been sleeping peacefully knowing that Sanjay was there keeping an eye around them, so it was really hard for him to fight against his drowsiness. The sky was still dark, and the fire had almost perished. Sandor could see a big silhouette sitting against a tree; that was Sanjay. But those weren't his footsteps Sandor was hearing. Three men had approached them in the dark.

"They've got fancy armor, these two" one of them said, eyeing Sanjay's blue armor and his bird-shaped helm. Obviously, they hadn't seen Sandor's dog-shaped one, or they wouldn't have dared to get near them. "Take it. Do they have gold?"

"Aye, look!" say another man, taking a bag full of coins in his hand.

Sandor looked at Sanjay through his half closed eyes. The boy was asleep. Well, of course he had fallen asleep and let his guard down, what was he expecting?! And now they were being robbed in the middle of nowhere…

"Take everything" the first man ordered. "And kill them before they wake up and discover us. They are bloody big, I don't want them chasing us trying to fuck us in the arses."

The third man approached Sanjay and pulled from his hair to arch his neck, exposing it. He took out a dagger…

Sandor was about to yell, but he never did. Because the man that had been about to slit Sanjay's throat was on the ground with his own throat cut open. Sanjay was on his feet, and he thres the dagger in his hand to the man that was next to Sandor, digging the blade inside his skull. The man yelled before falling dead over Sandor, spilling blood all over him. Sandor kicked the body, getting rid of it.

The only man that was left alive, the one that had been talking, tried to run, but he wasn't fast enough and Sanjay caught him. The man let out a high-pitched scream and almost peed himself in terror. Sanjay's face as he pressed a second blade against the man's throat was cold and as hard as stone.

"Mercy1 Mercy, m'lord, please!"

"Mercy? After you try to steal from us and slit ours throats? Now why would I do that?" this was a completely different side of Sanjay. It was… scary. "How many more of you are there around here?"

"We only came for the village!" the man cried. Big drops of sweat covered his forehead, he was terrified. "Please, Ser, we only came for the coins in the village, the others stayed behind"

"So you don't only rob and try to kill us, but more people too?" Sanjay's expression hardened. "You don't deserve mercy."

And right after he said that, the man was dead, just like the other two. Sanjay's breathing had quickened, and Sandor stood up on his feet, looking at the three men that his son had just killed in seconds.

"I told you to wake me up in a couple of hours!"

"I was going to, it hasn't been a couple of hours yet. I heard them coming, so I figured that it would be easier to get rid of them if they thought that I was helpless." Then Sanjay stared around him, as if he was trying to find something. "He said that they were coming from a village… What village?"

"I have no fucking idea" Sandor admitted, and then a familiar smell filled his nostrils. It was smoke. Something was burning not very far away.

The lord and the boy mounted their horses quickly and galloped towards the place from where that smell came. I didn't take them long to find a little hidden village away from the road, a village that had clearly been sacked by the men that the robber had mentioned before. Whoever those men where, they were far gone, and they had left a disastrous village behind. Most of the houses were alright, but the smell came from a peasant house that was burning. There was a woman screaming outside, and a man was trying to keep her away from the flames. Sanjay reacted before Sandor did (Sandor was just staring at the flames, too afraid to get any closer) and galloped towards them, making his horse stop right before them.

"Is anyone inside?!" he yelled to make himself e heard about all the noise. The woman just kept screaming hysterically, but the man (her husband) replied.

"My son! My boy… and a girl, there's also a girl inside… Please, Ser!"

Without even flinching, Sanjay got off his horse and ran toward the open door of the house engulfed in flames. Sandor was horrified, and that pulled him out of his initial shock.

"SANJAY!" he yelled, trying to stop the boy from going in, but it was useless. Sanjay was already lost from sight. "BLOODY BUGGERING HELLS!"

"M'lord, please…" sobbed the woman. "Help us…"

"I'm not getting inside that fucking hellhole! If he doesn't make it out again, you are going to be fucking sorry for it!" Sandor bellowed, going back to being the feared Hound again. The peasant couple trembled in fear, but Sandor paid them no attention. His son, his son was inside the burning house…

The heat was insufferable, and it was pushing Sandor back even further away from the house. He couldn't even stand to look at the house, and the flames. Old memories crowded his head, ut now it was all worse… It wasn't himself the one that would burn, it was Sanjay, his son…

"SOMEONE GET HIM OUT OF THERE!" he roared a t the peasants that ran past him. Some of them went to fetch buckets of water to throw at the fire and extinguish it, but it wasn't enough. Then Sandor heard the cries of a young boy coming from inside the house.

Sanjay resurfaced in between the flames, unhurt and unburnt, and he was carrying a boy no older than five in his arms. The crying woman screamed with joy as the boy called out for her.

"Mother!"

"Petyr!" the woman cried, taking the boy fro Sanjay's arms. But when she looked at the Blue Jay, her eyes were still wet with tears of terror. "And the girl…?

"I couldn't find her" Sanjay coughed because of the smoke. Before he could say anything else, Sandor reached him and forced the boy to turn around and look at him. Sandor shook Sanjay's shoulders violently.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" he barked. His eyes were so wide open that the whites were standing out.

Sanjay didn't even bother to respond. He shook Sandor's hands away from him and ran back towards the house.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

"I'm going to get the girl out!" Sanjay shouted back before jumping into the flames again.

Sandor didn't know what possessed him. The next thing he knew, he was running towards the house too. Before he could even realize what he was doing, he had jumped inside the burning house behind his son… He was there now, standing between the hungry and vicious flames.

"SANJAY!" he roared, trying to find his son without the flames and the smoke blinding him.

He was panicking. The extreme closeness to the flames just reminded him horribly of the day that Gregor burned his face. His scars were even staring to hurt as a reminder, as if they had come to life by being so close to the fire that created them. He also remembered the night of the Battle of Blackwater, when he had been completely surrounded by green flames, and the day that the Dragon Queen took King's Landing, with her dragons breathing fire everywhere…

He just wanted to get out. Out, out, he needed to get out! But he couldn't find the way that he had gotten in. He was trapped. He cursed out loud, and turned to face the monstrous flames. He couldn't see his son anywhere.

"NED!" he cried out of desperation. Then he started walking through the fire, walking deeper inside the burning house. "SANJAY!"

A figure appeared between the flames. It was Sanjay, carrying someone in his arms.

"Get out!" he was yelling at Sandor. "GET OUT!"

Sandor fell back… crossing the door and stepping out of the burning house. Sanjay quickly followed him, getting as far away from the house in flames as possible, with the unconscious girl in his arms. Sandor watched them as Sanjay deposited the girl on the ground; she started coughing, and soon she woke up, gasping and taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, it's alright" Sanjay was telling her. The girl looked at him. She had tears in her eyes, and her shoulders were shaking. Sanjay put his hands on them to calm the girl down. "You're alright…"

The girl had big brown doe-eyes, and long golden hair blackened by the smoke, same as her pretty face which had stains all over it. She coughed, and Sanjay patted her gently on the back while he too tried to regain his breath.

"Thank you good Ser…" the girl said politely. She didn't speak like a peasant, and didn't look like one, although her dress was a ruined mess at that moment. "I owe you my life…"

"I'm no Ser" Sanjay rasped, just like Sandor had thousands of times, but he smiled anyway. The girl returned him the smile before coughing a bit more. "What's your name?"

"El-Elizabeth… How can I ever repay you?"

"Just knowing that you are alive and well is a good enough regard" Sanjay said, and Sandor groaned some feet away from them. His son had certainly inherited his courtesies from his mother. It was then when Sanjay noticed Sandor again, and remembered that he had also been inside the burning house. He left the girl alone there and went to help Sandor to get up.

Sandor was still shaking and out of breath. He could practically feel the fire on his skin, and his eyes were still wide both from terror and shock.

"I thought you hated fire!" Sanjay exclaimed, confused.

"I do…" Sandor whispered. He still did not know how he had managed to work up the nerve to do such a thing… But then again, he thought that his son was going to burn… Watching his son burn would be worse that getting himself burnt again.

Sanjay understood that Sandor had gone inside to get him out, and his expression softened. He looked… moved? Sandor couldn't tell. His sight was all blurry.

"Thank you" Sanjay said in a more serious voice. Sandor couldn't reply, because he started coughing loudly, but he did manage to nod his head briefly to let Sanjay know that it was okay. Sanjay went back to where the girl- Elizabeth- was and helped her get on her feet.

 _Just like the true knights in the songs that the little bird likes so much_  Sandor couldn't help to think as he watched his son with the girl.  _She will be so fucking proud._

* * *

Sansa was helping her daughters through their lessons, teaching them how to properly do needlework. Both of them were good at it, though Alyss was a bit better than Agnes because she had more patience, and Agnes was more tomboyish. Sansa had never seen such peculiar girls, both wild but that acted like ladies at the same time. They were a perfect combination of Sansa and her sister Arya. She found it funny, and spending time with her daughters helped her mind to stay unfocused from other things and darker thoughts. Like Sandor being away, and cersei Lannister being brought to Winterfell to get Sansa's judgment.

She knew what had happened a month ago, in the Red Keep. She knew that Sandor had been appointed as Daenerys Targaryen's champion, while some Blue Jay knight was Cersei's. Sandor had won, but he hadn't killed the knight. That little piece of information disturbed Sansa, because she could not understand it.

 _He has grown softer these days_  she thought in the end.

She looked at her daughter's needlework. Alyss was sewing a Stark direwolf, while Agnes was working on the Clegane black dog. Sansa looked down at her own needlework: it was a blue bird. She didn't know why she had decided to do that, most birds that she sew were red, or sometimes yellow, like the Clegane color. But not today. She shrugged, deciding that it didn't matter.

"It's very pretty, mother" Alyss said kindly, and Sansa smiled at her sweet daughter.

"Thank you, Alyss. Yours is gorgeous, look at that wolf!" the wolf was certainly really good, Sansa was impressed. It had green eyes.

"Like uncle Bran's direwolf!" Agnes exclaimed, and Alyss nodded.

Bran was already returning to Winterfell, Sansa had received a raven a few weeks ago. Her sister was also coming to bring Cersei Lannister to her, and Sansa was exited to see her younger sister and her goodbrother Gendry and her two young nephews. But she also couldn't wait to get her eyes on Cersei Lannister. Sansa's expression darkened when she thought about that woman.

 _I swore it, Cersei_  Sansa thought to herself.  _You are going to beg me to kill you…_

She was so immersed in her own dark thoughts that she didn't pay any attention to what she was doing and she pricked her thumb with the needle. A drop of red blook fell to the stone floor.

"Ouch" was all she said, but her daughters gasped.

"Are you alright?

"I'm fine, I just pricked it…" she left her needlework to the side, not wanting to stain it with blood. Right in that moment on of her knights walked in the room and bowed in front of her.

"Milady" he said, and she raised her eyes to look at him. "Lady Arya has arrived."

Sansa had never gotten up from a chair so quickly as she did then, and she raced down the halls and the stairs all the way to the courtyard, where her sister and all of Sandor's knights were waiting, looking relieved to have finally ended that long journey. When she saw Sansa, her sister opened her arms to the sides to receive her in a big hug.

"Arya, I've missed you so much!" Sansa exclaimed, feeling incredibly happy to have Arya there with her.

"And I missed you, Sansa! Figures there's not a lot of people to give you trouble without me around" Arya grinned, making her sister laugh.

Then she saw Gendry. The former bastard smith, now the Baratheon Lord of Storm's End, had grown from a handsome and strong boy into a very handsome and even stronger man.

"Milady" he said, bowing his head to Sansa with a faint smile on his lips. Ugh, he was always so polite, even when it wasn't necessary. He did it specially to bug Arya, but what he reserved speacially for her was saying " _m'lady_ " in his former lowborn accent. Sansa didn't know why, but she always saw Arya smiling whenever she heard that. For Arya, Gendry's ' _m'lady_ ' mut be like Sandor's ' _little bird'_  to Sansa.

She then saw her nephews. Rob, of age ten, had Arya's grey eyes, the stark eyes, while Rickard, of eight, had the Baratheon blue. But they both shared the black hair, not minding whether if it was Baratheon or Stark. They had handsome features, resembling their father a lot, though their mother was a true beauty two. Sansa happily greeted them, but all the joy faded away when she saw the wagon, and what was inside of it.

It was completely closed, so that the prisoner could not be heard if she shouted for help, or escape. There was only a tiny hole that could be opened from outside to throw food and water in, but nothing else. It stank inside, and when they brought Cersei out of it, she was a disgusting mess. She was blinded by the sudden light, but her green eyes went wide open when she saw Sansa. There was terror in them. Sansa, on the other hand, didn't do so much as blinking.

"Take her inside, and give her cold water to wash herself. She  ** _stinks_** "  _just like the great piece of dung she is_.

To knights carried Cersei inside the castle. Once Sansa was told the former Queen regent was ready, she went to meet her in a small room in which she had been locked in. Cersei was looking out the window when Sansa walked in, and she turned her head to the side to look at the Stark woman. After some long and tense moments of silence, Cersei spoke.

"You have grown to be very beautiful, little dove" she said. Her voice was low and worn off, lifeless. "Of course, everyone could see that coming, even when you were all beaten up. Tell me, Sansa, have you had a good, happy life?"

"It's Lady Clegane for you" Sansa said, without answering her question. "Or Lady Stark, whichever one you prefer."

"Ah, that's right… Everything worked out perfectly fine for you, didn't it? You ran off into the sunset with your dog…" Cersei was talking with spite now. Sansa wasn't bothered by it. "How are your little pups, Sansa? I heard that you have a pretty litter…"

She found that amusing, while Sansa found it enraging. She had to close her hands into fists at her sides to be able to control herself.

"Why?" she hissed. "Why did you have to send those snakes to my daughters?  _What wrong have those innocent girls done to you_?!"

" _Innocent_?" Cersei spat the word. "How could they be innocent? They are you children. I wanted to see them poisoned just like my son was. You killed him!"

"I didn't kill Joffrey" Sansa murmured coldly. "Though I wish I had. He took Ned away."

Cersei laughed hysterically.

"Ah, yes! Your little bastard… Be happy that Joffrey wasn't among us for long, Sansa. Your filthy little bastard would have not enjoyed it for sure. But I took care of him… Oh, yes, I did…"

That was it. Sansa closed the distance between herself and Cersei in less than two seconds, and smacked the woman across the face with all her strength. Cersei fell to the floor, ut Sansa didn't let her get up. She had a small flask in her hand, a flask that she was specially asked the maester to get her for that occasion. It contained a transparent liquid, and Sansa forced it down Cersei's throat, making the woman choke and fell on her back to the floor, and when she tried to move, she found out horrified that she was unable to. She was paralyzed. She tried to scream, but no sound came out from her throat. Sansa kneeled at her side, and grabbed the woman's chin to force her to look at her. Sansa's eyes were full of disgust and hatred, but she was holding herself back from hitting the woman until knocking her to unconsciousness.

" ** _Now, you listen to me_** " she hissed, hurting Cersei while she held her chin and dug her nails into her flesh. "You listen to me very carefully… You think that I'm going to just judge you and kill you?  ** _Now, why would I do that_?**  I swore, to the old gods and the new, to the lord of light, and all the other gods in the world, that you will beg me to die…  ** _And you will_**. But you don't deserve the mercy of death. No… Your punishment is worse,  _much worse_. And I won't even have to torture you physically. There's no need for it. The pain that you are going to feel is worse than any torture in the world…."

Cersei was terrified. Her green eyes were fixed on Sansa's. She wanted to scream and fight back, it was obvious, but she couldn't. Sansa delighted herself with that moment. She wasn't a cruel woman, not… This was only justice. She was giving back what she had received many years ago.

She decided to tell Cersei what her punishment- her  ** _real_**  punishment- was:

" ** _Your children are dead_** " Sansa whispered. She saw the way in which Cersei's eyes got wider and filled with more fear and horror, and she continued, talking very slowly, so that Cersei wouldn't miss a word. She took a piece of parchment out of her bodice, a letter that she had kept hidden there as proof of what she was about to say.  ** _"All_   _of them_**. Myrcella died in Dorne, and Tommen was killed in Lannisport. And it's all your fault. Your children are dead because of your actions, your decisions…  ** _You killed your children, Cersei_**."

She watched as Cersei's face turned red from the effort of unsuccessfully trying to scream. Her mouth was wide open, but the room was silent. However, her face did had expression. There was pain, insufferable pain spread all over it, in each of the cells of her skin, in each of her muscles and wrinkles and pores. Pain.

Then, and just then, did Sansa know that she had gotten her vengeance. Justice had been made.

"I'll let you live the rest of your life knowing that, remembering it every day" she whispered.

She got back up to her feet, and after shooting one last glance at Cersei, she left the room leaving the immobilized woman lying there, enduring the same agony that she herself had suffered years ago, and she did not look back.

 _Now you know how it feels_.  _Do_   _you wish you were dead yet?_

She could hear Cersei's silent scream deep within her.


	23. I Have Died Everyday Waiting For You

Sandor made his horse Winter come to a stop once he saw Winterfell not too far away. Sanjay did the same, and both men stared at the castle in the distance. It had been long since Sandor had last been at Winterfell, he visited it sometimes with his wife and daughters to accompany them to see Bran and to some Stark reunions that were celebrated from time to time. He turned his head to the side to see his son's reaction upon seeing the castle, and he could tell that Sanjay was impressed by what he saw. The Red Keep was much bigger than Winterfell and more impressive, but the glory of Winterfell was undeniable, rising there in the middle of the North.

"It's… nice" he said. "So this is your home?"

"No. This is my wife's old home, the seat of the Starks. My home is the Dreadfort, I was made lord of it after we defeated Lord Bolton."

"It's very beautiful" Sanjay said, continuing to stare in awe at Winterfell and its towers. Sandor thought that he could see a hint of emotion sparkling in Sanjay's Tully-blue eyes.

 _Must be his Stark blood, somehow telling him that he's finally home_  he thought.

They resumed their march towards the castle, getting closer with every second. Sandor almost fell sick to his stomach; he had never been so fucking nervous in his entire life.

 _Seven buggering hells…_  He wondered how would his little bird react. Would she recognize her son, just like Sandor had even though he had never seen him before the trial by combat? Sansa had spent a few days with Sanjay when he was born, after all. It might be easier for her to know… But what if she didn't? Then what should Sandor say? He couldn't introduce the boy as Sanjay Waters, no. Sanjay Clegane? But Sansa had no fucking idea where the name Sanjay came from… And Ned Clegane would be confusing for Sanjay…

"Fuck" Sandor rasped, frustrated. He was just too nervous, too fucking nervous. He hadn't realized that he had cursed out loud, and Sanjay was looking at him through the open beak of his bird-shaped helm.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Sandor lied. He hated lying. "I'm just thinking." There, that wasn't a lie.

Sanjay just shrugged and then he closed the beak of his helm, hiding his face behind it. Sandor had observed that it was a thing that Sanjay always did when he was a approaching a place with people he did not know.

 _Sansa, this is your son. Our son_. There. That was what he had to say, nothing else. Everything would fall into place later on its own.

He couldn't help himself from feeling sicker with each step that his horse brought him closer to Winterfell, where his wife and daughters awaited him. Damn it, he felt like a stupid young boy, he needed to remain calm! He just wanted to see his little bird again, and see the smile that he was sure would form on her face.

"Ready, boy?" he asked his son, and his voice didn't shake when he spoke.

Sanjay nodded. "I'm ready."

It took them ten minutes to reach the walls, and the guards opened the gates upon seeing them. They rode unto the courtyard, where they found that everyone had already arrived days before them. Sandor's squire saw them and ran to help him get off his horse.

"My lord!" the young boy exclaimed. "It's good to have you back! Lady Sansa was starting to worry."

"Where is she?" Sandor asked while he handed his dog-shaped helm to the squire.

"Inside, my lord, with your daughters. They are very impatient to see you as well."

Sandor smiled when he thought of his little birdies. Gods, how he had missed them! He couldn't wait to hold the in his arms, and little Catelyn too.

"Sandor!"

Arya Stark had been practicing swordfight with her two sons in the training yard when she saw her goodbrother. She and her sons put the wooden swords away and walked to where Sandor was standing.

"Uncle Sandor!" Robb and Rickard exclaimed, happy to see him. Bloody hells, had they grown since the last time he saw them!

"What do you feed these kids?" he laughed when Arya reached him, but she ignored him. She looked happy but upset at the same time.

"Where in seven hells have you been! You where supposed to arrive a day before us! That was a week ago!" she scolded him. "Sansa was so worried! She kept thinking something bad had happened to you, but I lied and said that you had lingered in King's Landing longer than us! Not that she believed me, but still…"

"Did you tell her anything about…?" Sandor didn't want to say anything about Sanjay out loud, just in case the boy was listening. Arya understood the question, and she shook her head.

"No, I figured you would like to tell her yourself" she said, and all traces of being upset disappeared from her face. "Also, my sister has already had her fun with the Lannister bitch. Believe me, that one will never give us trouble again."

"Did Sansa kill her?" Sandor asked surprised, but again, Arya shook her head, and she told him what had happened between the Stark and Lannister women. When she finished telling him, Sandor was speechless, with his eyebrows raised in shock.

"I don't even know why I'm surprised" he managed to say. "If anyone knows what Sansa is able to do when she holds a grudge against someone, it's me. She's just like you there."

Arya was proud upon hearing that, but she didn't say anything. A voice suddenly raised over all the other voices around them.

" ** _SANDOR!"_**

His heart skipped a beat, and turned around to look at his beautiful wife running towards him.

* * *

Agnes Clegane had been looking out the window for the better part of the last hour, entertaining herself with observing the activities of the knights and men and stableboys and maids in the yard of Winterfell. She wanted to play with her sister, but Alyss was in the dancing lessons that she liked so much. From where she was in the window, she could see her Aunt Arya practicing swordfight with Robb and Rickard. Rickard was only a year older than her, and Robb three years older, but she spent a lot of time with them nonetheless. She would have gone out to practice with them, but she didn't feel like fighting that day. Instead, she had stayed there, watching…

That's how she found out that her father had already arrived. Lord Sandor Clegane crossed the gates riding on his black horse, followed by a man in blue armor and a bird-shaped helm. Agnes watched with a big smile on her face as her father stopped his horse and dismounted him, talking then to her Aunt Arya.

Agnes got away from the window and started running through Winterfell's halls, shouting:

"Mother!  _MOTHER!_   _Alyss_! Father is here,  ** _FATHER IS HERE_**!"

Sansa and Alyss heard her and came running to where she was, meeting her in the middle of the hallway. Sansa was carrying Catelyn (now half a year old) in her arms.

" _Where?!"_  her mother asked.

"In the yard, I just saw him!"

"What's happening, who's shouting?" Gendry had heard Agnes shouting to get her mother and sister's attention, and he had come to see if something was wrong. Sansa handed Catelyn over to him.

"Here, Gendry! Take her for a second, please!"

"Su-sure…" the man said, holding his little niece carefully in his arms. Then Sansa lifted her skirts so that she wouldn't trip when she ran, and she rushed out of the castle, with her heart practically performing a wild dance on her throat.

" ** _SANDOR_**!" she yelled when she saw him, and her husband turned around to look at him.

She stopped for a second to stare at him, and then she started running again, while Sandor did the same towards her. Sansa jumped to his arms and Sandor held her tightly against his chest, raising her from the ground and spinning her around in his arms while Sansa laughed and cupped his face, leaning in to kiss his lips. Sandor kissed her back passionately, parting her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss; he didn't care that everyone was staring. He had missed his little bird too damn much. And oh, how much more had Sansa missed him!

"I was so worried about you!" she gasped when they broke apart, breathless. She caressed his cheeks with her hands while he still held her above the ground in his arms. "Why didn't you return earlier? I was waiting for you!"

"I had some trouble on the road, little bird" he admitted before kissing her again. "But I'm back now. I'm not leaving again, I promise."

Sansa smiled against his mouth, and then the kiss ended again, this time interrupted by Alyss and Agnes.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Sandor had to put Sansa down on her feet again in order to kneel on the ground to hug his two elder daughters, who threw their arms tightly around his neck. "Daddy, you are back!

"Come here, little birdies!" he hugged them tightly against his chest, cursing at himself for being away from home so long after he realized how much he had missed them. Once he let go of them he saw Gendry, who had followed Sansa and the girls and was carrying Catelyn in his arms. Sandor's face lighted up. "My little princess…"

He leaned in and kissed the little baby's head gently, and Catelyn raised her bright grey eyes to look at him.

"Bloody hells, she's grown a lot since the last time I saw…" he started saying, turning around to look at his wife, but he was muted when he saw what she was staring at.

Sanjay had taken off his bird-shaped helm, and Sandor's squire had taken it from him. He shook his head to wipe his sweaty black hair away from his eyes, revealing their bright color to everyone who looked at him. He had been watching the family reunion in silence, staying behind Sandor alone, trying to keep his face serious. Sansa was staring at the oy, studying all his features: how tall he was, almost as tall as Sandor even though he was so young; his black hair, thin and so familiar; the strong features of his face, and the slightly hooked nose that had been broken many times... But it was only when Sanjay stared right back at her, fixing his Tully-blue eyes on hers, that Sandor could see the color fading from his wife's face.

"Ned…?" she whispered in complete shock and disbelief, her voice so low that no one could hear her.

 _It can't be_  she thought.  _No, it can't be, he's dead. They told me he was dead…_

She turned her head around to look at her husband. Her blue eyes were wide open and filled with tears that she was trying to fight back, and she stared with them at Sandor's grey eyes, trying to get some kind of confirmation from him. Sandor serenely nodded his head, and Sansa covered her mouth with her hands and let out a loud sob. She turned back again to face Sanjay, who didn't understand what was happening and looked confused. Sansa took her hands away from over her mouth, and two lonely tears ran through her cheeks. She spoke louder this time. " ** _Ned!"_**

Before the boy could say anything, Sansa was running towards him. In a second, she had embraced him with her arms, and she was crying loudly. She wasn't sure if her tears were of sorrow, or of the most overwhelming happiness, or both. All that she knew was that she had her son in her arms, finally, after fifteen years of waiting, of everyone telling her she was mad… And she couldn't stop crying.

" _Ned!"_  she sobbed again. " _Ned, my boy… My boy… I'm so sorry Ned, I'm so sorry! I tried to stop them, I tried… Please forgive me… Ned, my boy…"_

She kissed his cheek and ran her hands through his black hair and then she kept crying and mumbling things between sobs. Her chest was shaking so hard that it hurt, but she couldn't stop it. She pulled away from Sanjay to look at his face. Her own was red and wet with tears, her eyes were swollen… But their color was still the same as always. And Sanjay could see that. Slowly, his confused frown disappeared from his face, and the same look of disbelief that Sansa had had before appeared on his face, when he saw his own Tully-blue eyes in the face of that small and beautiful woman.

"Mother…?" he mumbled with a cracked voice.

Sansa nodded her head frenetically.

"Yes. Yes, it's me… Ned, my boy…  _My son_ …"

She was afraid of his reaction, very afraid. Was he mad, because he didn't stop Joffrey and Cersei from taking him away from her, because she didn't fight back against Gregor when he tried to stop her? She had tried, she had really tried. She was so sorry, and she couldn't stop asking her son for forgiveness. She hadn't abandoned him, but it felt to her like she had.

But all that fear disappeared all at once when her son suddenly pulled her against him to hug her, and this time he was shaking too.

"Mother!" he exclaimed, his voice broken. Sansa put her arms around his son and stroked his hair in a comforting way.

"I'm here, my son… I'm here… I'm so sorry, Ned, I'm so sorry… I tried… Do you forgive me...?"

Sanjay knew that she had tried. Sandor had told him the story: how his mother had burned Ser Gregor and his keep to get away, how she had almost died going to the Wall, how she had travelled to Essos to get the help from the Dragon Queen, how she had ridden a dragon and sacked King's Landing and covered it in fire to defeat the Lannisters and get him back… How she hadn't found him, and everyone had told her that she was mad. If there was something that Sanjay knew about his mother, it was that she loved him.

"Mother…" now he was sobbing too, forgetting all about the strong warrior that he was. "There's nothing to forgive…"

Sansa kissed her son's cheeks and forehead many times, still trying to convince herself that that wasn't a dream, that it was real. She cupped her son's face between her hands and looked lovingly at him. There were so many things that she wanted to tell him, and so many thing that she wanted to ask. But that wasn't the right moment, and all that she could do was stare at him and try to recover like that all the years that she had spent without her firstborn and only son by her side.

All of a sudden, Sanjay seemed to realize something, and his face formed a frown again. Slowly, very slowly, he turned around to face Sandor, who was standing still a few feet away from them, waiting expectantly… Sanjay seemed to be struggling with something, but when he spoke, his voice sounded full of hope and eagerness.

"Father…?"

Feeling his chest bursting with joy, Sandor nodded.

"I told you I was taking you back home" was all he managed to say, and then his eyes moved to meet Sansa's. "And I promised you that I would find him, no matter what…"

A new sob escaped from Sansa, but her face was all lit up with happiness. Sanjay smiled, and he stretched out an arm towards Sandor. The man smiled too, and he walked towards where his wife and son were standing, and he hugged both of them. All three of them fell to the ground on their knees with their arms still around one another, pulling all three of them together or the first time in their life, sharing their joy. They didn't pull apart until they heard a small delicate voice at their side, and they found Agnes and Alyss standing next to them. Alyss was holding Catelyn in her arms with much care. The eyes of both twins were full of curiosity.

"Daddy… who is he?" Alyss quietly murmured, looking at Sanjay.

Sanjay was the one who replied, with the biggest smile that either Sandor or Sansa had ever seen on anyone's face:

"I'm your brother" he said, wiping the tears from his face.

Agnes was the first one to throw her arms around her brother's neck, and he hugged her tightly. Then he hugged Alyss, being careful not to hurt Catelyn. Then he smiled at the little babe, caressing her head with his big thumb. Sansa watched proudly and overwhelmed with joy how her four children met for the first time.

_It's my dream come true… I have my entire family together… No one can take them away from me anymore._

"Thank you" she whispered to Sandor, and as a reply, he kissed her softly.

"You don't have to thank me for anything, little bird" he said, running his hand softly over her cheek.

Then they pulled their four children back into an embrace, with little Catelyn still in Alyss' arms.

The Clegane family was finally reunited forever.


	24. Never Let It Show, The Pain I've Grown To Know

Sansa had just finished her needlework and put it down when Sandor surprised her, grabbing her waist with both his hands and kissing her neck, making her squeak and jump on her chair before she raised her hand to caress her husband's cheek while his lips explored the soft skin of her neck.

"Did I scare you, little bird?" he whispered on her ear, causing a pleasurable shiver to run all the way up Sansa's back.

"Just a bit" she admitted, making him grin. "I'll get back at you for that."

"I'm sure you will… Why don't you get back at me for it under the bed sheets?"

Sansa faked a look of indignation.

"Scare you in bed? My, that would not be very honorable!" she joked, standing up from the chair and turning around to face him while she looked at him with a glowing smile on her face. She threw her arms around Sandor's neck.

Sandor laughed. "You can do anything you want to me in bed, little bird."

She still wasn't sure, or so she was pretending.

"Anything…  _anything_?"

"Seven hells, little bird, why are you even asking? First of all, is there something that we haven't done in bed already?"

Sansa took a moment to think the answer to that question, and all those years that she had been married to Sandor flashed like images in her mind. The memories made her blush, and the answer to the question made her blush even more. After all, she was still a proper little lady… though she wasn't  _such_  a proper lady in bed. Not even close.

"No" she finally admitted, which made Sandor laugh again. Then he leaned in to kiss Sansa, and he pressed his lips against hers. Sansa moaned against his mouth and smiled again. When he pulled apart, Sandor looked straight into her eyes.

"So… do you want to get back at me now?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, but Sansa hit him on his broad chest.

"Not now! It's the middle of the day, and everyone is around! What if the kids come."

"Well, then they'll finally now where babies come from, and we'll have spared ourselves a very embarrassing conversation with them in later years."

Sansa wanted to hit him again, but she couldn't because she had burst out laughing, half embarrassed and half amused. Sandor loved to see her like that, and he amused himself with the sight of his wife bending over with unstoppable laughs and her face as red as a tomato.

"Seven buggering hells, little bird, your face matches your hair now!"

It was just too funny. She couldn't stop laughing at the thought of Sandor having that kind of talk with his daughters. It would be too awkward. He would just warn them that he would kill the poor man that dared to try to approach them. Yeah, that was what Sandor would do.

When she finally stopped laughing, she kissed Sandor again. It was a brief but sweet kiss. Then she picked up the cloak that she had been working on before Sandor came into the room.

"Look. I've been making this for Sanjay" she said. She had gotten used to her son's new name pretty quickly; the name didn't matter to her, what she wanted was her son with her, and she already had that. She showed the cloak to Sandor. Half of it was yellow with the new Clegane sigil, the black hound and the red bird, and the other half was white with the grey Stark direwolf. It was great work, and Sandor was impressed. Sansa was biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Do you think he will like it?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Yes" Sandor nodded. "It's great, little bird. He will love it."

"I… I just wanted to… Well, to welcome him to both families… I know that we celebrated in Winterfell, and that the entire family loves him and everyone has accepted him, but he still doesn't have anything of his own with the sigil, he only has some of your clothes that fit him… So I wanted to give him something that is only his, and he's both a Clegane and a Stark, so…" Sansa sighed, and she put the cloak on the side again. She wiped her hair away from her face, and she wasn't looking at Sandor. He could perfectly read that as a sign of nerves, awful nerves. "I just can't believe that he is here, Sandor… After all this time, it feels like a dream, and I'm afraid that I'll wake up…"

Sandor pulled Sansa into his embrace, and took her chin gently with his hand to make her raise her eyes to meet his.

"It's not a dream, little bird. Sanjay is here with us, and he will never e taken away from you. I promise."

Sandor only spoke the truth, so Sansa smiled. She was still nervous, though.

"Has he talked to you? Does he like it here? I know that he liked Winterfell…"

"He likes any place in which he is with his family" Sanjay had told him that one afternoon, with those exact words. "He loves us, Sansa. Don't worry about that, or anything else. And you've seen how much the girls love him!"

Finally, Sansa's nerves seemed to fade away.

"What a beautiful family you have given me" she whispered before she raised herself on the tips of her toes to kiss him.

The kiss was much more passionate than before, and Sandor kissed her back fiercely. He took some steps forward, until the back of Sansa's legs hit the bed and both of them fell on it. They laughed and kissed, and Sandor;s hands were working their way inside Sansa's bodice when they heard a loud knock on the door that startled them. Sandor knew immediately who it was and grunted.

"Hey, you two lovebirds!" Arya's voice came from behind the heavy door. "Stop whatever the hell it is you are doing and come to the yard! Quickly, don't make me walk in on you…  _again_!"

"What do you want?!" Sandor barked, lifting himself on his elbows and turning his head towards the door.

"Your son has just kicked my husband's ass! And he's about to beat Jon to a bloody pulp! Come down before you miss it!"

"What?!" Sansa had pushed Sandor away and she stood up from the bed alarmed, her blue eyes wide with shock. Sandor followed her.

"Little bird, she means that Sanjay is training…" he had seen Sanjay fighting…  _killing_ … (though he hadn't told that to his wife) and he wasn't surprised that he had defeated Gendry and was now defeating Jon.

Sansa opened the door; behind it was standing Arya, dressed in a tunic and breeches as always. She looked amused.

"I warned them not to do it" she said. She walked down the hall, followed by Sansa and Sandor.

When they arrived in the training yard, Sansa saw that was her sister had said was the truth. Gendry and Jon were sitting leaning in against a wall, looking sweaty and exhausted, and beaten. Jon certainly looked like he hurt somewhere, and Gendry seemed incapable of even sitting down. Sanjay was back in his Blue Jay armor, with his helm on, and he was fighting against four knights at the same time. Sansa was alarmed at first, she had never seen her son fighting before. Her first instinct was to cry out loud for them to stop before Sanjay got hurt, but her voice died in her throat when she saw Sanjay's training sword clashing against the side of the helm of one of the men; the impact sent the knight flying to the side and he fell to the ground. Had that been a real fight, half of his head would be missing. Right after he landed that blow, Sanjay did an extremely fast move and his sword clashed against the man behind him right in the stomach, and the man fell to the mud on his arse. Sansa could hear Sandor laughing loudly at her side, but she didn't look at him because she couldn't take her eyes off their son.

_He's so tall and muscular as his father, even at such a young age, and so strong… He's almost invincible!_

Or maybe not even 'almost'. For now, none of the men had managed to defeat him.

"Aren't you going to try it?" Sandor asked to Arya. His goodsister shook her head.

"I already did! I had to yield" she admitted, much to her shame. She tried to ignore Sansa and Sandor's shocked stares. "Robb wanted to fight against him, but I forbade it."

A yell made them look at the fight again. The third knight was on the ground with the other two, with his nose bleeding. The only one standing didn't last much longer. Sanjay would have chopped him off in half if that wasn't training. Two more brave (and stupid) knights tried to achieve what the other seven people before them hadn't. Sanjay hit one of them in the stomach, and the other one in the back of the head. When he was done with them, three of the beaten knights were groaning in pain. Sanjay took his helm off and tossed it to the side, and wiped the sweaty black hair away from his eyes.

"Sorry" he apologized to the knights. That he didn't like knights didn't mean that he hated the ones at the service of his parents. "Anyone else?"

"Lord Sandor!" someone exclaimed.

"What?!" Sandor didn't seem to like the idea very much. Sansa didn't know if it was a good idea at all, but deep inside he was curious as to what the outcome of that fight would be.

"Aye! Lord Sandor! Why don't you try it?!"

Sanjay was grinning, apparently pleased with the idea.

"Aye, Father! I won't be as easy on you this time!"

That seemed to convince Sandor. His took one of the practice swords, and walked to meet Sanjay.

"Don't hold back this time, son."

Sanjay laughed.

"You'll be sorry for that…"

Sanjay landed the first blow. His sword clashed against his father's and the steel sang. It was impressive, watching two such large men fighting. It was a fierce spectacle, and everyone was watching with much interest.

"They fought before, with real swords" Arya told Sansa. "In the trial by combat. Sandor won that time, but I think Sanjay let him win."

The fight was brief. Even though Sanjay was exhausted from the previous fights, with one powerful blow he disarmed Sandor sending his sword flying to the air, and he hit the back of Sandor's legs with much strength, making his father fall on his back to the ground like his men had before him. Sanjay pointed his sword at Sandor's chest, and smiled.

"You are getting old, Father" he mocked in a friendly way before helping Sandor to stand back up.

"I'm lucky that you didn't do that on the trial" Sandor said, patting him on the back. They both stared at Sansa when she walked towards them.

"No more fighting for today" she said very firmly, but she smiled warmly at her son. "Sanjay, that was incredible… I'm very proud of you."

He smiled. "Thank you, Mother."

"Now, why don't you go and take a bath and get ready for dinner?"

Sanjay did that, going back to the castle. Sansa looked at Sandor, and had to contain a laugh when he saw him groaning in pain.

"Did he really beat you that easily? Or did you let him win?"

"He's the one who let me win last time… Seven fucking bloody buggering hells, that boy of ours is a beast!"

"Come, you need a bath too…"

An hour later they were all ready for dinner. Sansa went to her son's chambers, carrying in her arms the cloak that she had made for him. She knocked on the door, and Sanjay told her to come in. He was dressed with a green doublet and brown breeches, and had his back turned to the door, because he was looking outside the window. From behind, anyone would think that they were staring at Sandor, the resemblance was shocking.

 _He will be taller than his father someday_ Sansa realized.

"Do you like the views?" she asked. Sanjay turned around to face her, and nodded. It was in his face where the resemblance to Sandor was lost. "I used to stare outside the window for hours and hours… Especially when I was pregnant with you. I used to sit next to the window and look to the horizon, to the North, and I imagined that I would return there, and I would teach you how to make snow castles."

Sanjay smiled, warming Sansa's heart.

"I also sang for you a lot, you know. When you were born, I sang a song for you that I sang for your father once… That was before… before…"

"Before Joffrey came" Sanjay understood. "Those days are long gone, Mother. I'm here with you now."

"You can't imagine how much I missed you" Sansa said, on the edge of tears. "I- I thought it was my fault. If I had fought more, if I had ran before, then maybe…"

"Then you would be dead, Father would have never known about me and he probably would have let himself die rotting beyond the Wall, and Agnes, Alyss and Catelyn wouldn't exist" Sanjay said, and Sansa raised her blue eyes to meet her son's identical ones. Sanjay put his hands on her shoulders, and he continued staring at her very seriously. "You are a wonderful mother, Mum. I couldn't have asked for more."

Sansa cried happily and threw her arms around her son's neck to pull him in a tight embrace, and Sanjay hugged her back. Then, she dried her tears, and showed him the cloak that she had been carrying on her right arm.

"I-I have a gift for you" save the cloak to him. He looked at it with bright eyes, and Sansa knew that he had liked it very much. "I was never able to give you anything that I had made for you, because I was on the run, but… But now I can, and I wanted you to have something of both your father and I…"

"This… Mother, thank you! It-it means a lot…" he hugged his mother again. She smiled happily before presenting him with a second, smaller gift. It was a silver pin in the shape of a blue jay, with wings made of tiny sapphires. "Mother…"

"Here" she said, putting the cloak around his shoulders and covering his back, and she clasped the pin in front, keeping the cloak in place. "You look very handsome."

Sandor appeared in the room then. It was his time to give Sanjay a surprise. It wasn't a cloak or an expensive pin, but Sanjay might like it all the same.

"Here, a raven just brought it" Sanjay recognized the royal stamp immediately. He read the piece of parchment…

"What does it say?" Sansa asked.

"It's… It's from the Queen Daenerys… She has legitimized me as Sanjay Clegane…" Sanjay seemed to be out of words, or unable to pronounce them. He was incredulous. "I'm not a bastard anymore!"

"You have never been" Sandor said with a happy smile on his face, ignoring how it twisted the burned side of his face. "Let's go celebrate it."

In the feast, Sandor and Sansa sat in the same places as always, and Sanjay sat to Sandor's right. Alyss and Agnes were having quite a fight trying to decide who would seat down next to their brother.

"You sat next to him yesterday!" Agnes was protesting.

"But that was a normal dinner, not a feast!" Alyss replied, pouting.

In the end, Sanjay had to change to another chair, leaving an empty space between his father and himself, so that he could have one sister at each side. And then the fight started again, this time to decide who was going to seat next to Sandor. In the end, Alyss won. Agnes was mad for five minutes, and then she completely forgot about the quarrel once she started talking with her brother. Arya was sitting next to Sansa, and both of them had been laughing watching the Clegane son and daughters like that.

"I wish my sons would resolve their quarrels so quickly!" Arya was saying. The two boys were sitting in another table, with Jon's children who had accompanied him to the North "Rickard would have already tried to throw a knife at Robb's head by now!"

Sansa was alarmed, and for a second she was back to being the little girl she had once been before going to King's Landing all those years ago, and a thought popped into her mind:

_If Septa Mordane had seen that!_

"Gendry" she then caught her goodbrother's attention. "Are you better now? Or does it still hurt?"

"Well, I'm sure I will have some bruises for quite a few days, but I'm better" he said, though his expression revealed that he was still sore from the practice. Arya laughed, amusing herself with her husband's pain and shame. Gendry grunted. "Oh shut up. He would have gotten you too if you hadn't yielded."

Arya decided to ignore that last comment. "I asked him where he had been trained. He has had Dothraki warriors teaching him, and also several men from Braavos. They are the best. It's no wonder that he's such a good fighter, and besides, it's in his blood. I saw him fighting against Sandor in King's Landing,  _really_  fighting. Those two were born to be warriors."

Sansa knew that that comment was good in meaning, but she didn't smile.

"Did he volunteer as champion?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Did my son volunteer himself as champion for Cersei's trial?"

Arya frowned. Her mouth was full with mutton, so she had a hard time trying to speak.

"Sansa, if you are worried because you think he cared for Cersei Lannister or something, I can assure you that…"

"I know that he's no longer loyal to the Lannisters, Arya, that's not what I was asking" Sansa said, a little bit more angrily that she had originally intended. "Did my son volunteer himself to fight, yes or no?"

"No" Arya said, now with her mouth empty, and her face more serious. "Sansa, what are you…"

"So Cersei chose him" Sansa said, and her sister nodded. Sansa breathed deeply, staring at her food but without really looking at it. "Before or after Sandor was chosen as champion?"

"After. When Daenerys chose Sandor, Cersei laughed. She sounded mad, Sansa. Then she chose Sanjay to fight for her."

Sansa grabbed her fork with fury. "So she wanted my son to kill my husband. Or vice versa."

Arya nodded. Then she remembered something else. "When Sandor spared Sanjay's life, Cersei yelled… Well, she yelled ' _kill him, dog_ '. Now that I think of it, I don't know  _which_  dog she was referring to…"

Sansa had never felt better with having given Cersei the punishment that she did: the knowledge that all her children were dead. She told her it was her fault, which was partially true. Joffrey had died years ago, and if Cersei had controlled him, then maybe things could have gone better for everybody, so that was her fault. Tommen had died in a war that Cersei had started, so it was her fault. Myrcella, on the other hand, had died giving birth, but Cersei didn't have to know that. Sansa didn't want her to know it. She wasn't a cruel person, but the amount of satisfaction that she had knowing that Cersei was rotting away in the Dreadfort's dungeons, crying and screaming in sorrow and desperation and guilt, was beyond measure.

"How long do you plan to keep her there?"

"Until she suffers all that I have suffered. That everyone has suffered."

"That day might never arrive."

"Well, then she'll stay in those dungeons forever" Sansa said, and then she drank all the wine from her cup. She was immersed in her own thought until she was startled by her husband's loud laughs at her side. Both Sandor and Sanjay were laughing along some other men about a joke about whores that Sansa was grateful not to have heard, until she saw that Alyss and Agnes were there too. Then she hit Sandor in the chest, like she had done thousands of times before, causing him to almost choke on his wine.

"What now, little bird?"

"There are children present!" she scolded him, but Sandor and everyone else just kept laughing. Eventually, that laugh served to put Sansa in a good mood.

All the laughing and chatting was only interrupted when Sandor stood up from his seat with his cup full of wine in his hand, wanting to propose a toast.

"For my son! Sanjay Eddard Clegane Stark!"

" _SANJAY EDDARD CLEGANE STARK_!" the men roared, and they all drank in Sanjay's honor.

* * *

Later that night, after the feast, Sanjay approached Sansa after she had put Agnes and Alyss to sleep and made sure that Catelyn was safe in her crib.

"Mother, I need to speak with you of something" he said, and it seemed to e urgent, for both his face and his voice were serious.

"Tell me, son, what is it?"

"I heard you speaking with Aunt Arya" he said. The first thought that Sansa had was that it was impossible, because her sister and her had been speaking in a low voice and everyone was very loud around them. But it seemed that Sanjay had been trained to have perfect senses as well. "Is it true that you intend to have Cersei Lannister in the dungeons forever?"

Sansa didn't know where that conversation was going, but she nodded anyways.

"I wanted to ask you something" Sanjay said.

"Tell me, what is it?"

"You already punished Cersei for what she did to you. She has paid you for that crime, but there's more people that deserve revenge. What about Father? What about me?"

Sansa finally understood, and she sighted.

"I want her alive, Sanjay…"

"I'm not going to kill her" her son quickly added, though his eyes were dangerous. "I promise. I just want to talk to her… I need to understand some things. And maybe, just maybe, you will listen to my proposition of what I see fitting to do with her?"

"We'll talk about it in the morrow" that was a very delicate matter to discuss, and Sansa was tired. It was very late in the night, and she wanted to have a peaceful ending for that day, but she managed to smile at her son. "But I will let you talk to her. I understand that you might have questions that only she can answer."

"I know that Joffrey was the one that stole me from your arms" Sanjay continued saying. "And that he was the one that made your life and my father's miserable, but Cersei allowed all that. She could have given me back to you, like any other woman that was also a mother would have, but she didn't. She stole my childhood… I'm glad to see that you understand that, Mother."

Of course that she understood. She understood her son more than anyone, probably, and Sandor also would if Sanjay had asked him instead of Sansa. She could perfectly understand that her son wanted to look at Cersei in the eyes and ask ' _why_?'.

"Would you join your father and me for a walk?" she asked, trying to diffuse the tension that had been created. "It's a warm night outside, there aren't many of those up here in this part of the North."

"Sure" the boy said, taking his mother's arm in his to accompany her to meet Sandor in the yard. The man smiled when he saw his beloved wife and son approaching him.

"We should go for a ride tomorrow, the entire family" Sansa said. "With the girls, and Arya and Gendry and Jon and Ygritte and all your cousins. It would be a lovely day!"

"That if it doesn't rain" Sandor was quick to point out. It had been raining an awful lot lately. "But it's a good idea. Though there're too many bloody children running around for my taste!"

"Sandor…"

Father, mother and son walked outside the walls of the Dreadfort together arm in arm, enjoying the fresh air of the night. The moon was shining full in the lack sky, surrounded by millions of stars. Sansa saw then a shooting star.

"Make a wish!" she exclaimed.

"I already have mine" Sandor said. "And you, little bird?"

She couldn't hide her happy face. "Same… Sanjay?"

The boy's face was peaceful, and he was looking up at the dark sky. His parents stared at him for a brief moment in silence, and that peace was only interrupted when they heard riders arriving. Sandor immediately tensed, and his hand went to the sword in his belt, and so did Sanjay's. The boy put himself in front of his mother, acting as her shield, until they saw that they weren't being approached by enemies, but by knights and men carrying the banner of a southern House and a white flag of peace. With them was riding a young girl whose face was covered by a hood, and she was mounted on a beautiful sorrel mare. Sansa looked at the banners and thought that she recognized it; it was a red castle on a white field within a red embattled border.

House Redfort.


	25. I Saw An Angel, Of That I'm Sure

The knights of the Redfort approached them, until one of them ordered them all to halt and so they did in front of Lord and Lady Clegane and their son. Sansa eyes all of them with mistrust, she knew none of them, nor had she ever talked with anyone from House Redfort. However, she did not let that mistrust to show on her face, and instead she pulled off a polite and courteous smile like she always did. She wondered what business brought those men to her home, and she expected that they meant no harm.

Sandor's face wasn't so polite though, but Sansa didn't mind because it almost never was when it came to strangers, especially from the South. She would have liked to speak and greet their… visitors? But her husband was quicker.

"Who are you?" Sandor rasped, still with his hand on his sword, not minding his courtesies. Sansa rolled her eyes.

"My lord, my lady" the girl in the sorrel mare lowered the hood of her red cloak. The girl underneath that cloak was a pretty little thing, with long blonde hair and big brown doe eyes, and a small and delicate face.

Sansa heard her son gasp.

_Does he know her?_

"Elizabeth?!"

Yes, apparently he did.

The girl smiled a sweet and small smile. And Sansa saw through the corner of her eye how Sanjay returned the smile. Now,  _that_  was a surprise. She shot a questioning glare to her husband, who gave her a knowing look that meant ' _I'll explain everything later. Long story_.'

Sans turned her head then to her son, who had his mouth open in awe while looking at the pretty girl.

"I thought… I thought that you were…"

"I was travelling back home from visiting a friend when you saved me from that fire" the girl explained. "We had to stop in the inn of that town, and then we were attacked. Had it not been for you, my kind lord, I would have perished in the flames. I didn't want to reveal my identity then in fear that I would be discovered by some other robbers or outlaws who would have tried to do me harm."

A look of comprehension lit Sanjay's face, and Sansa started to put the puzzle together in her head. Sanjay had saved this girl somewhere in his way to Winterfell from King's Landing. She was starting to see the motive behind that unexpected visit.

"So… who are you, then?" Sanjay asked, as softly as he could.

"I'm Lady Elizabeth Redfort, daughter of Lord Jasper. I came here wanting to formally thank you for your bravery. I owe you my life."

Sanjay blushed. Even Sandor seemed to find that funny, but thankfully he didn't make any noises or any comments.

"There's no need to thank me anything, milady" she said bowing his head. Then he frowned. "But, how did you manage to find us? I don't recall us telling you where we were heading? This wasn't even our destination."

'I know. I was most distressed at first for not knowing who you were, but I gave your descriptions to my lord Father. Though he did not know who you were, he did recognize Lord Sandor for his… bravery and courage."

Sandor  _did_  snort then, and not in a good way.

 _For my bravery and courage, she says, huh?_ He thought bitterly. He hadn't been bitter about what they said to him in many years, it wasn't a hair off his arse, but he hated liars.  _Most likely for my hideous scars, isn't it?_

He wanted to say it out loud, but he didn't. In part because he knew that the girl meant no harm, in part because his little bird would get mad at him, and in part because he heard his son clearing his throat in a rather threatening way.

_Bloody hells, he_ _**is** _ _Sansa's son. So thrice-damned polite and courteous. And he has gotten to know me perfectly in no time!_

So he said nothing, and everyone was happy. Elizabeth kept her shy and sweet smile on her face.

"I still don't know who you are, my lord" she told Sanjay. He cleared his throat again.

"I'm Sanjay Clegane and Stark" he said. He wasn't one of those idiots that bragged about their family name and titles, he was just showing how proud he was of being Sandor and Sansa's son, and it was the first day that he could officially do it. "These are my parents, Lord Sandor Clegane and Lady Sansa Stark."

Elizabeth bowed her head politely to both adults, and they did the same.

"Elizabeth, it's a long way from the Redfort to here. The Dreadfort is very up North" Sansa said then, with a warm and kind smile. She had liked that girl… And she could see how her son was looking at her. "You can be our guests for as long as you wish for."

Sandor's eyes went wide open with alarm, but he said nothing, he just stood still besides his wife. Sanjay's smile just got wider.

"I thank you very much for your offer, Lady Stark, and I would be most delighted to accept it" Elizabeth said. One of the knights that had scorted her there helped her to get down from her mare, and she walked to reach the Clegane family. Sansa met her with a bigger smile than before.

"I'll arrange for you and all your men to be placed in comfortable rooms. Will you be as kind as to follow-"

"Come!" her son quickly interrupted her, almost startling her. He offered his arm to Elizabeth. "I'll show you the Dreadfort. Clearly you will want to get familiar with the place?"

"That would be very exiting, my lord" she replied with a smile, accepting his arm.

"Please, call me Sanjay."

It was the girl's turn to blush lightly. At Sansa's side, Sandor grunted.

"Are you fucking kidding me? We don't have enough with our knight, and now we have to have these buggers in our home too?" he was hissing loud enough only for Sansa to hear, but somehow Sanjay managed to also hear him and he hit his father on the ribs with his elbow when he passed by his side, as a silent way to tell him to watch his manners and act properly. Sansa raised her eyebrows at that, pleased to see that her son was a courteous warrior. There weren't many of those around.

* * *

"Have you seen how he looks at her?" Sansa asked to her husband while she was brushing her hair, getting ready for bed. It had been a very long day, and she was exhausted. She had already made sure that all the servants and maids prepared comfortable rooms and beds for Lady Elizabeth and her knights to rest from the long trip and stay all the time that they wished to.

Sandor nodded. He couldn't hide it, he was amused.

"He's in that age…" he rasped.

"She seems like a nice enough lady" Sansa commented, but Sandor replied her with a grunt.

"Might be, but Sanjay is too young…"

Sansa stared at him in disbelief.

"Too young? He's two years older than I was when I got pregnant with him!"

Sandor thought about it, and realized that Sansa was right, but he didn't care much about it.

"Well, hopefully she will decide that she has thanked him enough, and she and all her bloody knights will return to their bloody Redfort" after that statement, he walked over to were the crib with little sleeping Catelyn was, and he gazed down at the beautiful baby. He didn't notice, but he was smiling like a fool. Sansa also smiled watching him watching their baby, while she brushed her hair sitting in front of the mirror. "She looks more like you with every passing day."

"Sanjay is the only one that looks more like you. I always thought that he would have the same coloring as his sisters, with my hair and your eyes, but it turned out to e the only way around."

"Good. You have beautiful eyes, little bird. It would have been a shame if they were lost" he walked away from the crib and over to where Sansa was sitting, took the comb from her hands and started brushing her hair himself. It was something that he liked doing sometimes. The little bird's hair was so nice and soft and smooth as silk, and he enjoyed the feeling of it between his fingers. After a few minutes, when Sansa's curls were perfectly neat and combed, he let the comb down.

"Now come to bed, little bird" he said, and she stood up and blew out the candles before following her husband to bed. She fell peacefully asleep in his arms, feeling safe and happy.

* * *

The following morning, just as Sansa had requested the previous night, the entire family went for a ride together. Almost all of them were already mounted on their horses, except Sanjay. He was trying to convince Elizabeth to accompany them, and she kept politely declining the offer.

"I'm so very grateful for your offer, Sanjay, but I insist, I can't. It's a family ride. I understand that you've been away from them for far too long. And besides, if I stay I can take care and entertain your lovely little sister" that was right. Sanjay had presented Catelyn (now fully awake) to Elizabeth, who was carrying the baby in her arms. Catelyn seemed to have taken a liking to Elizabeth, or rather to her hair, because she kept clinging to it and she wouldn't let go while laughing little cute laughs. Finally Sanjay accepted that it was impossible to convince Elizabeth otherwise, so he mounted his horse and rode away with his entire family.

His sisters insisted on racing him, so they did. Sandor and Sansa watched their three children riding away.

"Be careful!" Sansa shouted.

"They'll be fine" Sandor said.

It wasn't long until Robb and Rickard joined the race, and their mother Arya followed. Next were Ygritte, and her children Lyanna, Aegon and Rhaenys. Sandor shot and amused glance at Gendry and Jon.

"You can't keep them still, can you?"

Gendry and Jon shook their heads, but they smiled.

"They're wild spirits!"

"I was lucky, and I got myself and good and proper lady wife" Sandor said, looking over at his little bird proudly, but turned serious when he saw that her eyes were far off, as if she was thinking of far away places. "Little bird? Are you alright?"

He caught her attention, and she looked confused for a moment, as if she was still coming ack from her distant thought.

"What? Oh, yes. Yes, Sandor, I'm fine. I was just… thinking."

"Thinking? Of what?"

"Of something that Sanjay said yesterday, last night…"

Sandor frowned.

"What was it?"

"He wants to see Cersei"

Sandor tensed as soon as he heard those words coming out from the little bird's mouth, and he feared the worst. She realized that, and proceeded to explain the situation.

"He said that there are questions that he needs to ask her. He also talked about… punishment."

"Punishment? What in seven hells does he want to do with that bitch?" Sandor asked. He had an idea, though. He himself wanted to tear the Lannister woman to bloody shreds, but he had to admit that Sansa had done a pretty good job with her. Cersei was curled up in a corner of her cell the entire time, shaking, crying, and tearing at herself with her nails. Whatever beauty had been left of her was gone, her looks were decrepit and her hair was poor and gray, and she had lost everything. Her children were dead, and the rest of her family hated her. Everyone looked at Sansa with a mix of pride, respect and fear for what she had done to the mind of the woman that was partially responsible for destroying her life.

"I told him that I would listen to his proposition" Sansa said, looking at her son in the distance. "However, I still haven't finished with Cersei Lannister. I'm keeping her in a cell until the time is right."

Sandor raised his eyebrows with curiosity. He had no idea of what his little bird was planning on doing, he had never asked. But he really wanted to know, so he finally asked. However, Sansa shook her head.

"I can't tell you now. Maybe later."

Sandor grunted, but he had to agree. They continued to ride in peace for the rest of the day.

* * *

They had a quiet family dinner that night to which Elizabeth was invited as their guest of honor. She talked a lot, especially with Sansa and Sanjay, to whom she told that her father had invited him to the Redfort in gratitude for saving his daughter's life, and that he could stay for as long as he wanted. Sanjay was flattered by the offer.

"It would be an honor, milady" he said, and the girl smiled.

"You are invited as well, Lord Sandor. And of course, that includes you as well, milady" she told Sansa. "I would love to show you the Redfort and that part of the Vale. You could make use of that trip to visit your brother Rickon, our liege lord."

It was actually a good idea, so Sansa accepted, and Sandor did as well, though he had been in the Vale not longer than a month ago. However, he had been fighting.

"I have been in the Vale, though only for a very short period of time, barely some days" Sanjay said.

"Was it during the war?" Elizabeth asked with curiosity, and he nodded. Sandor remembered the night of the battle, when he had seen his son for the first time.

 _Aye, and I thought of killing him_ he remembered bitterly.

Mentioning the war reminded Sanjay of the little talk that he had had last night with his mother, and he looked at her without saying anything. When Sansa's Tully-blue eyes met his identical ones, she understood was that look meant, and she nodded slightly, letting him know that she remembered too. So Sanjay relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the dinner with his parents, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins and Elizabeth.

But later, when everybody was going to their chambers to sleep for the night, Sanjay waited for his parents. He had thought that only Sansa would go, but Sandor was also with her.

"Your mother tells me that you want to see Cersei?" he rasped, and his son nodded. "Why?"

"I spent my entire life living a lie because of her, why do you think that I want to talk to her?" Sanjay said, and Sandor was surprised by his son's bitter tone. Sanjay was always cheerful and calm. However, he knew that Sanjay had less than no reasons to be cheerful when referring to that woman.

"Alright. I understand…"

Sansa placed her hand on her son's shoulder, and led him through the hallways and corridors towards the stairs that led to the dungeons. Cersei was in the deepest and darkest of them all, but they could hear her sobs echoing from the distance. She had not stopped sobbing in weeks, ever since that day in Winterfell…

There were two guards guarding the door of the cell, and they opened it when they saw their lords and lady approaching. Sanjay looked at his parents and they smiled supportably at him.

"Do you want us to come with you?" Sansa asked, worried about her child.

"No, Mother, it's alright" he assured her. Then he went in, and the guards closed the doors. Sansa and Sandor stood close to the door to be able to see and listen through the bars.

Cersei was, as always, curled up in the corner. She was filthy, broken. Sanjay approached her, and knelt next to her in silence. When she sensed a presence next to her, Cersei slowly raised her face to look at him.

Sansa hadn't bothered to go and see Cersei again ever since she told the woman that her children were dead. She just knew what the servants and everyone else told her, but she found out that it was much worse that she had imagined.

Cersei's face was like that of a skull with dry and broken skin pulled tight over it. Her eyes were lifeless and buried deep in her face. It was a pitiful image.

But those lifeless green eyes lit up with rage and anger and hatred when she saw the face of the boy that she had taken away from his mother's arms, the boy that she had raised and trained to kill, the boy that had escaped her.

"What are you doing here?" when she spoke, her voice sounded like a dying animal. Sanjay didn't even blink.

"I know all the truth now, Cersei" he said calmly. There was no hatred in his voice, no anger. "I know what you did."

"So… you already know whose little bastard you are?"

"I'm not a bastard. Sorry if that makes you bitter" he said, and for the first time Sansa heard a hint of mockery in her son's voice. "Why did you tell me that my mother was a whore, and my father a traitor?"

Sansa turned her head to Sandor. He hadn't told her that! He just shrugged his shoulders, and she kept listening to the conversation between Sanjay and Cersei.

"Because they were. Still are. Your mother… she went around the Red Keep and out, fucking the Hound like the good wolf-bitch that she was… And you father, he was my son's sworn shield, and still he attacked the city, hoping to find my Joffrey and put him to the sword… The only reason that he didn't do it was that Joff was already dead…"

Cersei sobbed then, but her cries meant nothing to Sanjay. He just stood there watching her and listening.

"Joff… My little Joff, and Tommen… Sweet Tommen… Myrcella… my only daughter!"

"Why did you hate me so much?" Sanjay asked. "I was a boy, I had done nothing."

Cersei stood up suddenly, startling Sanjay, Sansa and Sandor. She walked towards Sanjay in a mad rage, and he backed to the wall behind him. Sansa looked at the mad woman, and it reminded her of the specters in Old Nan's scary stories.

"Because of  _her_! Each time that I looked at you, I only saw  _her_! Your whore mother! It's those eyes, those cursed eyes that you both had! All I wanted was to rip them out of your face, so I wouldn't have to look at them anymore!" Cersei screamed, and she raised her hands with nails like claws and she scratched Sanjay's face. She tried to tear at his eyes, but he pushed her away, and Sansa and Sandor had rushed inside the cell. Sandor glared at Cersei in a menacing way, and Sansa looked at her son's face. He had six long scratches, three at each side of the face, not deep but very close to his eyes.

"Sanjay!"

"I'm fine, Mother, it's nothing" he said, not minding the scratches. He just looked at Cersei, who had returned to her corner. "I don't care what she does to me. But what she did to you and Father… I can not forgive her that."

"Sanjay, she's already being punished…"

"She's has been punished for what she did to you. She is suffering exactly what you suffered when they separated us. Justice had been made with  _you_. But what about Father, for example? He spent a year in the Wall, not knowing what was happening to you, or me, and then he believed that you were dead. He suffered his own deal, Mother."

Sansa had to admit that Sanjay was right. Sandor had been at the Wall risking his life everyday in pain believing her lost forever. She knew that, and that's why she had always said that Cersei's punishment was not yet done.

"I was planning to send her to the Wall" she finally confessed, earning her husband's stunned stare. "I was planning to let her rot there."

However, she could see that her son was still not satisfied.

"It's not enough."

His eyes were hard as stone and cold as ice. It scared Sansa, and it made her think… What had Cersei done to provoke such a look in her son's eyes? There had to e something else behind it, something that she did not know…

"What's wrong, Sanjay?"

"Nothing. I just want justice for you."

"I'm not going to kill Cersei, if that's what you are suggesting. I want her alive, she needs to stay alive" but something was wrong, she could sense it. So she asked again. "What's wrong, Sanjay? Son, tell me" she insisted, but Sanjay didn't say anything. So Sandor intervened.

"Show her, Sanjay?"

Sansa looked at him with confusion.

"Show me what?"

Sanjay didn't move.

"Show her" Sandor rasped, with anger in his voice. Sansa looked at her son again when he suddenly started removing his doublet. She did not understand anything…

Once her son's upper body was bare, he turned around to show her was Sandor was talking about, and then she saw it. His scars. His entire back covered in white long lines that disfigured his skin. Scars made by a whip.

Her blood was boiling. All of a sudden it wasn't her son the one seeking for justice, but her. She wanted justice. Cersei had crossed a line, and she had gone too far. There was no going back now.

She looked at her husband, who also looked like he wanted to flay Cersei alive. It would e appropriate, since they were in the Dreadfort, and that had been the custom for thousands of years. But they were not the Boltons, and Sansa had already made up her mind.

"Sandor…" she said, voice cold as ice and deadly as a dagger. Cersi was shaking, knowing that something terrible was going to happen to her. "Exactly how far up North did you go?"

"Up North where?" he asked, just to make sure that he was thinking exactly what Sansa was thinking.

"Beyond the Wall."


	26. I'm Dying Tonight, So Dark And Cold

Sandor hadn't been at the Wall in almost fifteen years; neither had Sansa. The last time that both of them were there had been the day that they had marched towards Eastwatch to get in a ship that would get them to Braavos to start their journey in search for Ned. Now there they were, almost fifteen years later, returning to the Wall with their grown son to end what they had started all that time ago.

It was the first time that Sanjay had ever seen the Wall. He had heard about it, of course, but he couldn't help to e amazed by the gigantic wall made of ice and stone.

"Who made all this?" he asked.

"Your ancestor Brandom Stark, thousands of years ago" Sansa replied. Her gaze wasn't friendly upon the Wall. She saw it as a symbol of her separation from Sandor, and the memories that it brought her were not pleasant. Of course that she had been overwhelmed with joy to see Sandor alive and her brother Jon again, but her mind kept going back to what had happened before she ever reached the Wall.

She turned her head around to look at those who were accompanying them to the Wall. Agnes and Alyss were riding right behind their parents and their brother. Both Sandor and Sansa had thought that the entire Clegane family should be there (except for little baby Catelyn). They were old enough to see the Wall, and also what was going to happen. They had to, anyways. Justice was not going to be made only for their parents and brother, but also for them. After all, Cersei Lannister had given orders to have the two twin girls murdered.

Jon, Ygritte, Arya, Gendry and Bran were going as well. They needed Jon and Ygritte for what they were going to do. Their children had come with them as well, and it had been Ygritte's idea. She said that her children needed to see where they came from, and Jon had agreed to it, though he was not going to allow them to go anywhere Beyond the Wall. It was too dangerous. Arya's children had stayed at the Dreadfort, along with Elizabeth and her knights, who had not returned yet to the Vale.

Also, two very special guests had joined them on their way to the Wall: Jaime and Tyrion Lannister. Sansa had sent a raven to them, believing that they ought to be there. Cersei was their sister after all. They hadn't spoken with their sister, they just watched her from the distance. Cersei was riding surrounded by knights; she had been silent the entire time until they reached the Wall. Now her eyes finally showed emotion, and it was fear.

"No…" she cried. It surprised all of them to hear her speak again, after so many silent days. "No, no, no, no… Please…"

 _You should have thought about it before_  Sansa thought. She hated to be so cold, but it was necessary. Nothing could get the images of her son's scarred back out of her mind. It was the most horrible thing that she had ever seen in her life. Neither could she forget the night in which she walked inside her daughter's bedroom only to find her about to be killed by a poisonous snake, just as her other daughter. Cersei had dared to harm Sansa's children, and she was going to pay for it. She would never be done paying for it.

Cersei was still sobbing and pitifully pleading mercy, and she was still being ignored. It seemed to annoy her brother Tyrion.

"Sweet sister, your cried will do you no good in this place" he said. His voice carried no emotions. He didn't feel joy or sadness for his sister's fate. He had just accepted it, and that was all, same as Jaime. Everybody knew that Jaime Lannister was a different person now. He wasn't a member of the Queensguard, he was just a knight, and he had married Brienne of Tarth. He wasn't arrogant like he had once been, and no one called him Kingslayer anymore, after he had recognized the reason why he broke his vows. Even the entire incest matter had almost been forgotten; Queen Daenerys's parents had been siblings, and she herself said that she could not punish someone for committing the same act from which she was born.

Cersei stared at Tyrion with hate, but she fell silent again.

The entire party stopped their march in front of the Wall. Some brothers of the Night's Watch had gathered around them to receive them, but Sansa didn't want to stop. She wanted to keep going and be done with that unpleasant business. They had enough food and water for a couple of weeks, and it was summer, so it wasn't as cold there as it used to be when she was there. However she did agree to linger there for a while as Jon and Ygritte dismounted their horses along with their three children. They were going to go to the top of the Wall to show the three children the lands Beyond the Wall, from where their mother and her family were. It was important to know one's roots, and that place was a very important part of the story of those children, so Sansa waited patiently.

Later, Jon and Ygritte returned with Lyanna, Aegon and Rhaenys. The expression on all three of the children had changed. They seemed older, more mature, more serious. Seeing what was Beyond the Wall could do that to people.

"We are ready to go" Jon said, looking at Sansa and then at Sandor.

Sansa turned her horse around to face Jaime and Tyrion Lannister, and she made the horse move towards them. She could feel the heavy stare of her husband on her back.

"Do you want to talk to her?" she asked both men once she was closer to them. They both looked to where Cersei was, but none said anything. Finally Tyrion shook his head.

"I only have to tell her that she is getting what she deserves, but she already knows that" he said. Then he turned his gaze to his brother, and his eyes asked a silent question. Jaime shook his head as well.

"Understand that I'm not doing this out of pleasure" Sansa said, with her head held high. "I'm just making justice."

"We understand, Lady Stark" Tyrion said. "Much pain was caused to your family by my father and nephew, but they already paid for what they did. And we understand that it is now Cersei's turn. What she did to your children… There's no excuse."

Jaime seemed to agree, but still he said nothing. Sansa had noticed that he had tried to avoid Bran's eyes ever since they joined the party marching up North. Now he seemed uncomfortable looking at Sansa.

 _Must be because I look so much like my mother. He still feels guilty, despite all the years that have passed_  Sansa thought. Deep inside, she felt pity for Jaime Lannister.

"I'm glad that we have an understanding" she said. "You do realize that once this is done, there is no going back."

"We understand" Tyrion nodded, and only then Sansa returned to her husband's and son's side. Her daughters were waiting there for her as well.

"You will stay here with your uncles Bran and Gendry and your aunt Arya" she said, and they nodded. They weren't sad, because they knew that she would be coming back soon. They knew nothing of the horrors that waited for them Beyond the Wall. She gave her daughters and goodbye kiss and hug, and so did Sandor and Sanjay before they faced the entrance of the tunnel that crossed to the other side of the Wall. Jon and Ygritte joined them along with Cersei, their prisoner.

"You don't have to do this" Sandor rasped, looking back at Jon and Ygritte. "You don't need to come with us."

"You won't survive out there without me" Ygritte told him.

"And she's not going without me" Jon added.

Sandor had tried to talk Sansa out of going with them, but she refused. He hadn't insisted because he knew that it was a lost cause, Sansa was not going to change her mind, and neither was Sanjay. He had said that he wanted to go, and they had not denied him his right to be there during the last part of Cersei Lannister's punishment. He deserved to be there.

They heard Cersei crying again, and they turned their heads around to stare.

"Jaime!" she sobbed. She was looking at her twin, and Jaime Lannister raised his eyes to stare back at his sister. "Jaime, please… Please…"

Jaime's face didn't betray his feelings. His expression was totally blank, with no love or hate reflected on it. Just pure indifference.

"Goodbye, Cersei" he murmured.

Cersei cried again. Jon and Ygritte forced her horse to move to take her closer to the Wall. She was still looking at Jaime hurt, feeling betrayed.

"Our children… Jaime, our children… Our little babies… They killed our little babies, Jaime…" she mumbled, but Jaime wasn't listening to her anymore.

The brothers of the Night's Watch opened the gates of the tunnel with them. Sandor felt a strange sensation as he was crossing the tunnel mounted on Winter. He had just crossed that tunnel on two occasions, one in each direction. The day that he had gone Beyond the Wall had been the day that his son had been born, a fact that he had learned later. The day that he had come back was the day that he found out that the little bird was alive and safe. Now he was crossing that tunnel with both of them, his little bird and his pup. Sansa looked like a true Queen of the North, all dressed in silver and white, more beautiful than ever. At her side, Sanjay had changed his blue armor for a blue cloak, and he was wearing the Blue Jay helm. A small smile appeared on Sandor's face. They were his two birds, and he had to protect them in this cold place.

"Ready?" he asked them. Both pairs of Tully-blue eyes met his grey ones.

"Ready" they nodded, and they came out of the tunnel, into the cold air Beyond the Wall.

Everything was white, covered in a thin layer of snow. It was summer in Westeros, but it was still very cold there. They entered the HauntedForest and rode and rode and rode nonstop during hours through the woods and the ground covered in snow. Sandor contemplated his wife and son as they took in their surroundings. They seemed both fascinated and horrified. Sanjay had never lived or been in a place so cold.

"How can anyone stand this place?" he asked suddenly.

"It is a hard life" Ygritte said. There was almost no emotion in her eyes as she saw again the place of her birth, the place in which she grew up and lived for almost two decades before Jon found her. "It is only fit for the strong. The weak don't live long in the North."

Sansa stared again at Cersei.

 _She is weak_ she thought.

When night fell, they had to find a place to stay. Ygritte found a good place between the trees that gave them shelter and Jon made a fire (they didn't fear the wildlings anymore, things had changed with them during all those years, reaching an understanding. They knew they would not be attacked) and Sandor tied Cersei with a rope to prevent her from escaping while they were asleep. Sanjay tended to the horses, and Sansa took food and water out of the saddles and brought it close to the fire and sat down there, waiting for everyone to join her. The she gave them the food and skins of water and wine. They left Cersei tied up to a tree away from them. They would feed her later.

"Do you know where we are going?" Sanjay asked after he sipped a bit of wine from the skin that his mother had given him.

"Ygritte lived here for more than half her life" Jon replied, and his wife nodded. "And your father and I were brothers of the Night's Watch. We spent months here. I was disguised as a wildling, and our father…"

"… Was busy trying to safe this bugger's ass" Sandor rasped, giving Jon a sharp look, and he sipped from his own skin of wine. Everybody laughed a little bit, even Jon.

"Well, yes" he admitted.

"How long were you here?"

"Well… I was here, Beyond the Wall, for seven months" Sandor said. "Jon was here for longer."

"Did Joffrey send you here as well?" Sanjay asked with curiosity. Jon shook his head.

"No, I chose to be here. He only sent your father here."

"You were supposed to die…" they heard Cersei murmur, and their looked at her. She was sitting down on the cold ground, still tied to the tree. She looked sick, as always, and she was not staring directly at them. "You should have died, you two were not supposed to be together, you were not supposed to be happy… I told Joffrey, I told him that he should have killed you… He didn't listen to me, he never listened to me."

"Don't listen to her" Sansa told her son, who's eyes were beginning to get filled with rage. "Just don't listen to her."

"We expected you to die as well, little dove…" Cersei kept saying. It was clear that a fever was affecting her, or she wouldn't be saying those things, not in that place and moment, when things could end so very badly for her. "I think that's why Joff married you to Gregor Clegane… It must have been so… unpleasant… remember when my brother stopped him from cutting your belly open? We could have thrown little Sanjay to the dogs then."

Everyone sensed that Sandor and Sanjay were about to get up and kill Cersei, so Ygritte acted more quickly. She stood up, grabbed a particularly big stick from the ground, walked to where Cersei was tied to the tree, and hit her in the side of her head. Cersei was immediately knocked out, and Ygritte threw the stick to the side before returning to sit down by the fire with her family.

"That should keep her quiet for the night, at least" she said. After that, everyone just forgot the woman.

After they were done with supper (or at least, what was supposed to be supper) everyone laid down to sleep. Sandor and Jon had agreed to take turns to keep watch, and the first one was Sandor's turn. He walked around between the trees, making sure that there were no enemies close. They hadn't talked about it, but Sansa knew that Snador, Jon and Ygritte were afraid that the Others might be close. The White Walkers were a menace that had not been extinguished in the past years. There were less of them now, but they were still there. Sansa couldn't sleep, she didn't want to. She felt wide awake, so she spent several minutes watching her son sleep. He looked so peaceful right then, like a child. She wished that she could have seen her son grow up, but it had not been possible. Still, she was grateful and blessed to be able to be with her son for the rest of his life.

After a few minutes, however, she stood up and walked over to her husband's side. He was standing up and leaning against a tree, unmoving, and he only turned his head around when he heard his wife approaching. She smiled at him, and she stood on the tips of her toes to kiss him on his lips. He kissed her back, and smiled against her mouth.

"You should be sleeping" he whispered then.

"I'm not tired" she said, and it was true despite the fact that it had been a long and exhausting journey, and what was waiting ahead of them was even worse. "I wanted to be with you…"

Sandor put his arms around her and pulled her against him, and then he covered her with his cloak to keep her warm. Sansa smiled and put her head against his wide chest. She loved that about Sandor; he was so rough with everyone else, but he was always so caring and tender with her… Always had been, and with their family as well.

"It's cold here" she murmured, looking at the snow on the ground. "I feel so sad… You had to spend such a long time here, in winter… All because of me.

Sandor frowned and lowered his gaze to look at her.

"Your fault?"

"Yes. If I hadn't been in love with you, they would not have caught us and…"

"And we wouldn't have been married and we wouldn't have four great children" he interrupted her in a serious tone. "We have spoken about this thousands of times, little bird. I don't regret anything of what happened. Nothing. Not even if it meant that I had to freeze my balls over here for months."

She smiled.

"Me neither" she whispered.  _Not even if it meant that I had to be married to the Mountain._ She didn't say that part out loud however, it would only upset Sandor and she didn't want that. He was right, they wouldn't have their family if they hadn't risked everything to make their love happen. "I love you."

"I love you too, little bird…"

They kissed again. Then they stared together into the distance.

"How far away do we have to go?" she asked. "How far North did you ever go?"

"Very, very far away…" he admitted. "I never reached the Lands of Always Winter, however, and I don't intend to ever do so. Are you sure that you want to go that far away, little bird? We could just live her here and go back."

"No" Sansa said. She had made up her mind, and she was not going to change it. "I want to go as far as you went. Where is that?"

Sandor sighed.

"We have to go to the Frostfangs… We could have taken that way, but this is safer. We will know what point I reached of the Frostfangs because the HauntedForest will end there. Then we climb the mountains, and leave the lioness bitch there. Then we go back immediately, understand? I'm not staying here for another damn minute."

Sansa nodded. "There is only ice and snow here, the contrary of fire… Why are you scared then?"

"Ice can urn just as much as fire does… And you didn't see them, Sansa. The day that they told me you were dead, they arrived. Dozens of them. Dead things with bright blue eyes… It was a fucking buggering nightmare."

The Others… The thought of them made Sansa shiver, and Sandor hugged her more tightly.

"We have come to a dangerous place, little bird. A very dangerous place."

"I know" she said.

"I won't let any harm come to you, little bird" he promised. He never broke a promise.

"I know" she repeated. And she meant it. There wasn't anyone in the world that she trusted more than Sandor.

* * *

Five days later (marching at a very good pace) they reached the most distant place in which Sandor had ever been in that side of the Wall, on top of the Frostfangs practically at the end of the mountains. If they looked at the distance from there, all they saw were ice wastelands, nothing else. They did not want to get closer to that, and neither had Sandor in the past.

"Let her go" Sansa told Ygritte, and the redhead woman cut lose the rope that was tied around Cersei. The woman didn't even seem to notice. They made her dismount her horse, and Sansa did the same. She walked towards the woman, who was looking at the snow at her feet.

"Look at me" Sansa commanded, and Cersei obeyed. Blue eyes stared at green eyes. "I'm going to give you a choice, Cersei… I'm going to let you choose between living or dying."

She could see that the elder woman was confused. Sansa proceeded to explain.

"If you choose to live, we will come back for you in a year and a month. Exactly the same time that my husband spent at the Wall and in these lands" she said. Jon gave her a small back, and Sansa took out a weapon from it. A small sword made of dragonglass. She handed it over to Cersei. "This should keep you alive if that is your choice."

Cersei took the weapon and eyed it. Her eyes were still as emotionless as they had been for days.

"If, on the other hand, you decide to die… You know what to do" Sansa finished.

There was nothing left to say, no more reasons left to stay in that place. She looked at the woman that had caused her so much pain for the last time.

"Goddbye, Cersei Lannister."

She turned around and walked away towards her horse. Sandor and Sanjay took one more moment to look at the woman. They had thought all the way that they would laugh, or smile, or feel happy once they saw Cersei being abandoned there at her own luck. Instead they just felt… in peace.

And so they left Cersei there, alone, desperate, and hopeless, with nothing more than a dragonglass sword that was more a long dagger than a sword and a single choice of her own… And the time to make that choice was running out.

* * *

Cersei had nothing left to live for. She had once craved power. She lost it. She had lost even her beauty, and without that she had no weapons. She was nothing, worthless. She had lived for her children. When Joffrey had been murdered and Myrcella was taken away, she had not lost hope because she still had Tommen. Now that the two youngest were dead as well, just like their brother, what else did she have?

Her father had been murdered. That left her completely alone. She had two brothers that did not love her. No one loved her. If she ever escaped that frozen hell in which the Stark girl had left her, she had no one. No one. She was alone… completely alone in the world.

Sansa Stark had given her a choice, and she believed in her word. Cersei believed that if the Stark girl had said that they would come back for her in a year and a month, they would indeed come back in that time to get her out of there.

The question was… was it worth it?

While she was thinking and searching for an answer, she walked down to the bottom of the mountain without even noticing. She didn't go in the direction that lead to the HauntedForest, no. Without thinking, she had gone in the direction that lead to the ice wastelands. To the Lands of Always Winter.

It was so cold there that it hurt in her bones. She dropped to the ground, falling on the hard ice and snow, and she stayed there like a broken doll, holding the dragonglass weapon in one hand while she kept looking for an answer, trying to make a choice... She wanted to live, didn't she? She wanted to live, and get out of there, and have her revenge of the Stark bitch, her husband and their son…

But what for?

She shivered, because suddenly it was much, much colder than before. An extra fur cloak would not have been bad in that situation…

She froze then, because she had looked up from the ground and she had seen what was coming from afar. It was more horrible than anything that she could have ever imagined. Worse than her worse nightmares…

The White Walkers were slowly advancing to where she was; dead, rotten, evil, dangerous and deadly. There were only a few of them, but the sight of them was enough to make Cersei cry silently. She could feel her tears freezing on their way down her cheeks.

She remembered her children again. Her only reasons to live, all gone. She had nothing left, nothing…

The Others reached her, and they stopped walking. They looked even worse when they were closer. The one that looked like the leader approached Cersi and looked down at her with those bright blue eyes… They were very different from the Tully-blue eyes, but they were still blue.

 _Even in hell, there is a reminder of them in every corner_ …

Blue in the sky, blue in the seas, blue in the rivers… Blue, blue, blue. It was like a curse.

Cersei thought that the White Walker was going to attack her, but it didn't, which confused her. It seemed like he was waiting for something, and then she realized that he was staring down at the dragonglass weapon. The only thing that could kill a White Walker. Her only way of escaping.

**_The choice is yours, Cersei Lannister. Live, or die._ **

She found her answer then, looking into the eyes of the White Walker.

She slowly stood up, feeling weak and about to break, but she managed to not fall back to the icy ground. She walked towards the White walker, closing the distance between them, and not once did she take her eyes away from his.

She let the dragonglass weapon slip through her fingers.

* * *

"Do you seriously want to come back for her in a year?" Sandor was stunned. He had not know that part of Sansa's plan.

 _Coming back here? Again? Is she fucking nuts?_ he loved his little bird, but sometimes he just had no idea of what was going through her mind and had a lot of trouble understanding her, even after all those years.

Neither Sanjay or Jon or Ygritte had said anything about what had just happened, or about what Sansa had said to Cersei. They had just seemed to accept it… or maybe they knew something that Sandor didn't know.

Sansa hadn't said anything either since she left Cersei in that cold place, but when her husband asked her that question, she looked at him. The eyes were wise and strong.

"That depends on what she decides. I gave her a choice" she reminded him.

"Yes. And you told her that if she lived, we would go back for her."

Sansa was lost in her thoughts for a couple of seconds.

"It won't be necessary."

Sandor was about to ask her what the fuck did she mean by that, but he never had a chance to do it, because right at that exact moment, a horrible sound filled the air, and it came from afar. It was a woman's a scream; a scream of pain, and at the same time, a scream of relief.

It was a scream of death.


	27. Find Light In The Beautiful Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the end!!!! :D I have to admit, I didn't want to finish the story, but oh well...  
> I hope you all liked it and enjoyed it!!!! I loved all your comments, and please, keep them coming for this last chapter!!
> 
> At the end of the chapter I'll put the names of the songs used for the titles of the chapters.

Nobles from all over the world had arrived at King's Landing in the previous days to be part of what was being celebrating in the capital, and with them, smallfolk and bards and people from across the Narrow Sea also came. They all had the same reason to be in that place at that exact time: the Queen had finally decided to take a husband.

The lucky man hadn't been an extremelly wealthy lord or some extravagant prince, no. The chosen one had been none other that Ser Jorah Mormont. The man, though once banished by te Queen, had reapeared in her life many years ago and she had forgiven him his mistake, but it hadn't been until now that she had declared her true feelings for him, feelings that everyone knew that Ser Jorah also had since many, many years ago.

Sandor and Sansa, Jon and Ygritte, Arya and Gendry and their families had been invited as guests of honor, for their were closer to the Queen than all the other nobles in all of Westeros. They all watched proudly as the now somewhat elderly man and the beautiful Mother of Dragons made their vows before the septon to the Seven. While watching the ceremony, Sansa couldn't but remember her own wedding, more than a decade ago. The memory brought a smile to her face: it had been in Winterfell, and it had been beautiful. She had been radiant, and Sandor had been awfully nervous. Recalling it almost made her giggle, and it caught her husband's attention, who watched her from the corner of his eye.

"What are you laughing at, little bird?" he asked with a low rasp, trying to speak as low as possible to not call anyone's attention. He didn't want to anger the Queen at her own wedding.

Sansa shook her head. "Nothing" was all she said, and Sandor raised an eyebrow. She could sense that he was curious and didn't believe that it was nothing, so she spoke again also as lowly as possible. "I was remembering or wedding."

She could see a small smile forming on Sandor's face, twisting the burned side of his face.

"What is so funny about that?" he wondered, and Sansa shrugged a little bit.

"You were very nervous."

"Well, I was about to marry the most beautiful woman in the entire buggering world, of course I was a bit shaky!"

Sansa wanted to kiss him, but that right there would be unproper, in the Queen's wedding in front of so many people. She would have to wait until they were out of that place to be able to cover her husband with kisses. She felt immensely happy that day...

"Mother, Father" Sanjay whispered then from Sandor's side, and they both looked at him. Sanjay brought a finger to his mouth: "Sssshhh..."

"You're right, now shut up" Sansa agreed, and she didn't said another word, and neither did Sandor. They stood still and quiet as statues, just like everyone else around them and their children at their sides.

Besides Sanjay was stading Agnes, dressed in a beautiful yellow silk dress. Besides Sansa stood Alyss, wearing a dress that was exact in design to her sister's but grey of colour. They had grown to be fine young ladies, just like their mother, thought that didn't stop them from acting like their aunt Arya from time to time. Alyss was holding Catelyn's hand in her own: the baby had become a beautiful toddler of three years old, with shiny auburn locks and the same dark grey eyes as her father and sisters. Sanjay stood tall and strong besides his father, not being a boy anymore but a young man of ten and eight. He was wearing a white doublet and blue cloak over his shoulders, and he had the strong look in his Tully-blue eyes of a fierce warrior.

After proudly watching her entire family around her, Sansa turned her attention back to the wedding. Daenerys and Ser Jorah had just finished speaking their vows, and were now sealing their union with a kiss. The entire Sept of Baelor filled with applause for the Queen and new King, and many cheered happily.

"Finally, I thought I would have to be standing here for another buggering hour!" Sansa heard Sandor rasp under his breath, and she was about to scold him when she heard Agnes muttering  ** _Yuck!_**  and making a face when she saw Daenerys and Ser Jorah kissing, and Sansa couldn't help it; she started laughing so badly that even though she was aware that everyone around her was staring, she did not care.

* * *

There was to be a Tourney in honor of the newlyweds. Sansa hadn't been in a tourney in so long, so many years, that she could barely remember. All the tourneys she had attended had been in King's Landing when she was either with her father or prisoner, back in those days when she was so naive and so young. Because she wanted to avoid those awful memories from those dark times, she usually avoided anything that reminded her of them... Until now. She was free now, free of the ghosts from her past. Her soul felt so relieved, and at peace... It was like breathing pure air again after a long time of breathing poisoned air filled with dust and smoke.

So now, there she was, back again in King's Landing after so many years, and she was again attending a tourney. Though this time, she was really happy and excited about it, for it was her son's first joust ever. For many years, Sanjay had refused to participate in one of those tourneys. He had the prejudiced notion that they were events for knights, and he hated all things that had to do with knights, so he had never been encouraged to joust like all the other young noblemen did. Sandor had never pressured his son to participate, because he understood him perfectly, but the time had finally come when Sanjay decided to give it a try.

Sansa sat very excited with her three daughters and her husband. Alyss was sitting at Sansa's left while Agnes sat at Sandor's right, and little Catelyn was sitting on Sandor's lap, happily smiling and excited about the tourney.

Although Sansa was excited, she was also incredibly nervous and she could feel her stomach twisting. Feeling her nervousness, Sandor raised his hand and gently and lovingly caressed her soft cheek with it.

"Don't be afraid, little bird" he said "Sanjay will be alright."

"How can you be sure about that?"

"Don't you forget whose son he is, and he's a wolf" Sandor reminded her. Somehow, that seemed to make everything alright. "He'll do great, you'll see."

Sansa smiled, trusting her husband's words. She looked into his dark grey eyes, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Then the tourney started.

Sanjay wasn't one of the first jousters, so Sansa didn't pay much attention to it. Instead, she searched with her eyes for her son, and found him preparing while he awaited his turn. His horse was already ready, and his squire was helping him with his armor. It was bright blue, as always. He hadn't left the identity of the Blue Jay behind, because he said that it was part of who he was, a mask behind hitch he felt safe. Now, Sanjay said that he could wear that name with pride.

His turn came, and his squire helped him putting on his bird-shaped helm, already well-known all through Westeros. Then he mounted his horse, and his squire gave him his lance. Sanjay's opponent was ready as well. It was a Lannister man, a few years older than Sanjay, with broad shoulders and well built. Sansa couldn't remember his name, but she did recognize him as a very fierce warrior who had earned quite a reputation in the last years.

At her side, Sandor snorted.

"Perfect, a Lannister... Our boy will enjoy crushing that fucker."

Sansa hit him with her elbow on the ribs. How many times did she have to tell him not to use that foul language in the presence of their daughters?!

"Don't worry, mother" Agnes said, clearly knowing what was going through Sansa's mind. "We are quite used to it now."

Sandor grinned, and Sansa rolled her eyes.

The tourney started, and both Sanjay and the Lannister man charged against one another. They met in the middle of the jousting arena, and their lances crashed against each other's armor. Bits and pieces of wood flew everywhere, and many people gasped. The Lannister man was still sitting on his horse's saddle, but Sanjay was struggling to stay on his. His left foot had slipped off the stirrup, but his right foot was still in his place and Sanjay's hands were holding hard to the reins and the horse's mane, so he was left almost hanging from the right side of the animal.

Sandor stood up, holding Catelyn in his arms.

"Get up, son!" he yelled.

Sanjay managed to get back on the saddle and he put both feet in the stirrups, triumphant. The crowd was cheering.

"He's not out?" Sansa asked. For a second she was been so worried that she felt her heart in her throat. Sandor shook his head.

"He didn't fall to the ground, that Lannister shit didn't unhorse him."

Agnes and Alyss were clapping furiously, cheering their older brother as everyone else was doing.

Sanjay got a new lance. As she watched, Sansa remembered the first tourney that she attended, at that same place, years ago when she was no more than a child. There she had seen Sabdor joust. He had been magnificent, and she had known from the beginning that he would be the victor. Maybe she had started falling a little bit in love with him that day, when she saw him acting so nobly against his brother, and when he opened himself for the first time to her, telling her a truth he had told no one.

The memories made her smile. She turned her face to the side, staring at her husband's good cheek. He saw her staring from the corner of his eye and met her gaze with curious eyes.

"What, little bird?"

"Nothing" she said, and she smiled at him. They turned their attention back to the tourney arena when they heard the horses galloping again, and Sansa felt nervous. Would her child fall down this time?

Quite the contrary. After both lances collided against each man's cheat armor, the Lannister man was pushed off his seat, and Sanjay was still on his saddle. He had won.

The entire Clegane-Stark family, along with many noblemen and commoners that were among the public and the Queen herself, stood up and cheered, applauding. Sansa felt incredibly proud and couldn't wipe her smile off her face. At her side, Sandor was almost roaring.

The tourney went on. More people were eliminated, until only Sanjay and the son of a lord from Dorne were left standing... And then, Sanjay was the sole victor of the tourney. He took off his helm, and Sansa could finally see her son's face, all red and sweaty, but he was happy.

"He did it!" Agnes exclaimed. She wasn't surprised, she had known since the beginning that her brother was the best of them all.

"This is the best part!" Alyss said, when she saw that Sanjay was about to crown a Queen of Love and Beauty.

Neither Sansa nor Sandor had to wonder much to know who the lucky girl was going to be. Sanjay didn't give much thought to it neither. He made his horse walk straight to where lady Elizabeth of the Redfort, his betrothed, was sitting with her family watching the tourney. Sanjay offered her the crown with the biggest smile that there had ever been on her face, and Elizabeth accepted the crown with a matching smile.

"Is that jealousy that I see in your face, or am I imagining it?" Sandor asked, grinning. Sansa frowned.

"No" she said "but I don't recall anyone ever crowning me Queen of Love and Beauty."

Sandor raised an eyebrow.

"Don't I already do that every night... in the privacy of our chambers?"

Sansa's face turned a deep shade of red when her husband said that, and a bunch of memories and images assaulted her mind, making her face feel extremely hot.

" _Stop it!_ " she said, giggling at the same time. Sandor put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"You know, if you want I can crown you tonight" he whispered in her ear, and then he slightly bit it, in a way that couldn't be seen by the people around them. "I'll crown you everywhere. Queen of Love and Beauty a thousand times over."

"Stop..." she giggled again, but she didn't want him to stop. So instead, she turned her head around and sealed his lips with a kiss.

* * *

The morning lights that came through the window woke him up. Sandor slowly opened his eyes, trying to get used to the intense sunlight in his face, and he blinked multiple times until his eyes didn't hurt anymore and he could see the room around him. It was one of the Red Keep's bedrooms that Daenerys had provided for her guests for the night after the wedding.

Sandor looked at his side. His arm was placed around the small body of his beautiful naked wife. The beds beets only covered both of them up to the waist, leaving their upper bodies bare, and Sansa's leg was also bare, the sheets tangled around it, and it was placed over Sandor's own leg. Sandor sighed and placed his head comfortably on the pillow to observe her. Sansa's face was peaceful in her sleep, and a small smile decorated her face. She must have been having good dreams... or she must have been remembering the previous night, when Sandor fulfilled his promise of crowning her Queen of Love and Beauty a thousand times over.

Sansa's body was pressed against Sandor's, and he caressed her soft white skin with his calloused hand. He caressed her face, her long neck, her back and her thigh. Sansa murmured in her sleep, pleased with the contact. Sandor grinned mischievously and moved so that he was positioned more on top of her rather than at her side, and he explored her beautiful body at the same time that he kissed it with his lips. His lips travelled down her neck to her torso, where his hands were cupping her big breasts. He squeezed them a bit harder and Sansa moaned, half awake now, and then Sandor's hands moved down to her hips and his mouth and tongue replaced his hands over Sansa's breasts.

Fully awake by then, Sansa's hands lifted up to grab Sandor's hair and press his face down harder on her body. As a result, Sandor sucked harder, and Sansa moaned and twisted under his body. Sandor groaned with pleasure.

Suddenly his wife pushed him and made him turn around, falling on his back on the bed. He grinned as Sansa moved to sit herself on top of him. Her hands explored his powerful and muscular body while she laid down on top of him, placing small kisses all the way from his waist to his chest to his neck to his lips. Then she looked at him in the eyes, with that ever-present smile on her face.

"Good morning..." she whispered, pressing her naked body against his. Oh, how he loved waking up like this...

"This is torture" he groaned.

"If you don't like it..." Sansa started moving away from him, but his arms quickly locked themselves around her, pressing her against him again. She laughed, and he frowned. "You are evil."

Sansa kissed him again, and Sandor buried his hand in her hair to press her harder against his lips, deepening the kiss. When they parted, he let his head fall back on the pillow and he looked up at his perfect wife. Sansa seemed to be... glowing.

"You seem happy" he noted.

"I  _am_  happy."

"More happy than usual."

"Shouldn't I be?"

"Well, after the way that I just fucked you last night, you should be more than happy, but-"

"Then shut up and don't complain."

He wasn't complaining, but he shut up anyways. For what seems like hours, he and Sansa just stared at each other. Truth be told, he could get lost in the blue of her eyes for eternity and he would be the happiest man on the whole buggering world.

Finally, Sansa placed her chin on his chest and toyed his his dark hair with her finger.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, little bird."

"Will you take me to that beach? The one in which we made Sanjay."

He remembered that beach, he remembered it all too well. He hadn't been in that place for almost nineteen years. His thoughts often took him back to that place, and it brought bittersweet memories. Happy memories from that place, sad memories from that time...

He frowned, ignoring the reason why his wife wanted to go back there. But looking at her sweet expression, he couldn't deny her anything.

"Sure" he rasped softly. "I'll take you there."

Sansa's smile widened, showing her perfect white teeth. "I love you" she whispered while she stood up from the bed. She needed to get a bath and get dressed.

Sandor stayed in the bed, watching Sansa walking away.

"I love you too" he whispered.

* * *

As promised, Sandor took Sansa to that beach the next day. He was amazed when he saw it, for he didn't think that it would have changed so little. Everything was just a he remembered. The beach, the views, the cave... The cave. What memories that cave brought!

He tied his horse to a nearby tree so that it wouldn't escape, and then he turned around to look at his little bird.

Sansa had already wandered off to the shore. She was wearing a very light silk dress, King's Landing styled and almost translucent, perfect for that hot weather and perfect for Sandor's eyes. He himself was wearing breeches and a white shirt, nothing more. He felt quite relaxed there, only with his wife and no one else, not having to worry about anything.

Sansa had kicked off her shoes and she had walked inside the cold sea, the water aching her knees already. The wind made her silk dress fly around her, and her auburn-red hair was also floating in the wind. It was the most beautiful sight that Sandor had ever had the privilege to see.

Slowly, he approached the sea, and he entered the water walking behind Sansa. When he reached her, he put his arms around her, bringing her closer to himself. Sansa's hands rested on his own, and she laid the back of her head against his chest while she looked at the sunrise. Sandor's eyes followed her gaze.

The sun appeared in the horizon, dying the sea and the sky in a deep red color. It was breathtaking.

Sandor felt Sansa sighing.

"So much has happened since that day" she whispered.

He nodded. "Yes..."

"And yet here we are."

"And yet here we are" he repeated. He looked down at her. "Whatever happens, we will always endure. I will always be there with you, Sansa. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my fucking life. You and the children."

He could see her smile in the corner of her mouth, and he kissed her hair, which was as bright as fire in the sunrise light, but it did not scare him like the flames did. On the contrary, he found Sansa's fire inviting and desirable.

"Sandor..." Sansa whispered "I need to tell you something."

"Tell me."

But she didn't speak. Instead she turned around in his arms, and stared at his eyes. When Sandor was starting to wonder what was going on, Sansa gently took his huge hand between here's, and she placed his palm over her belly.

He felt a beating heart beneath it.

A precious, tiny little heart.

He gasped. It was impossible. It couldn't be! And yet, it was. It was a miracle. A new life was growing inside of Sansa, a life that both of them had created...

He fell on his knees, not caring about the water, and he held Sansa by her hips. As he kneeled in front of her, he placed a long, tender kiss on her belly,night where his hand had felt the beating of the baby's heart moments ago.

He felt hot tears stinging in the back of his eyes. Oh bugger, he could not cry now!

"What do you think it's going to be?" he asked then, unable to hide his enormous smile from his face.

"I don't know..." Sansa replied, placing her delicate hand over her belly in a motherly way, like she had done all the other times. "But I think that Sanjay would love to have a little brother, don't you think?"

A little Clegane wolf pup. The more he thought about it, the more he loved the idea. Sansa had never wanted to have sons since she had Sanjay, but know, Sandor knew that they were both ready for it. It would be a brand new adventure, and they would love every minute of it.

He stood back on his feet.

"Thank you" he said suddenly.

Sansa looked at him puzzled.

"Why?" she asked.

"For making me the happiest bugger in the history of the world."

Looking at Sansa's face then, Sandor believed that he had never seen true happiness until that moment. He leaned down to kiss her, and he put his arms back around her body. As they passionately kissed, he started spinning around holding his wife tight and off her feet, splashing water all around them.

After what seemed an eternity, he put her down again. They heard a noise, and they turned their heads to look at the beach. Sanjay had followed them and he had brought Agnes, Alyss and Catelyn with him. Neither one of the four Cleganes said anything, they just stared at their parents from the shore with their faces lit with joy, a joy that was incredibly contagious. That joy and happiness was in the air, brought there by the entire Clegane-Stark family being together, all seven of them.

Sandor and Sansa looked one last time at their children before turning their attention back to the sunrise. The sun was almost completely visible in the horizon, and as Sandor watched it rising, he couldn't help but remember all that they had had to go through to get to that moment. For a long time, he had thought that their love was wrong, that it could not be. For a long time, he believed that his and Sansa's love was a crime. All that happened so long ago was reason enough to believe such a thing...

But as they watched together how the sun rose to the sky over the sea, he understood one thing:

Their crime had been forgiven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18\. My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark- Fall Out Boy.  
> 19\. Not One Of Us- Lion King 2: Simba's Pride Soundtrack.  
> 20\. O' Death- Jen Titus.  
> 21\. Don't You Worry Child- Swedish House Mafia.   
> 22\. Outlaws Of Love- Adam Lambert.  
> 23\. A Thousand Years- Christina Perri.  
> 24\. Gunslinger- Avenged Sevenfold.  
> 25\. You're Beautiful- James Blunt.  
> 26\. Phantom Rider- Tokio Hotel.  
> 27\. Diamonds- Rihanna.


End file.
